Reign of the Starkiller
by Carrie1138
Summary: (Not the Starkiller from the game!) This is an AU where the timeline diverged partway through The Empire Strikes Back. Boba Fett didn't follow the Falcon to Bespin, so Han and Leia weren't separated. Luke and Leia are now both Jedi knights. The story begins during The Battle of Endor, as Luke and Leia travel to the Death Star with their father to confront the Emperor.
1. Reign of the Starkiller: Prologue

**STAR WARS:**

**REIGN OF THE STARKILLER**

_Having completed his Jedi training on Dagobah, Luke Skywalker now knows his full history, and his mission: to confront his father, Darth Vader. Returning to the Rebel Alliance, he has followed Yoda's instructions, and trained his sister Leia Organa in the ways of the Jedi. _

_Meanwhile, the Alliance has received information from Bothan spies that the Empire is building a new Death Star, twice the size of the original, above the forest moon of Endor._

_As the Alliance mounts a desperate attack on the battle station, Han Solo and his team struggle to destroy the Death Star's shield generator, while Luke and Leia surrender to Darth Vader, and he takes them before the Emperor … _

***

**PROLOGUE**

Stepping out of the elevator, they walked straight into Leia's vision. She shivered as Vader motioned them forward, and the chair before the viewport rotated slowly to reveal, just as she'd seen him, Emperor Palpatine. She looked across at Luke, caught his eyes. He looked calm, prepared. She tried to make herself appear the same way, keep her cool, not think of what she'd seen, remember only what Luke had told her, that it was just one among many possibilities. She swallowed, hard.

The Emperor leaned forward in his chair, smiling sickly. "Greetings, Lord Vader," he rasped. "And who do you bring to see me today?"

Vader knelt on the steps, bowing his head. "These are my children, my master."

Palpatine stood up, passing Vader on the steps as he approached the two Jedi. "So dear Padme had twins," he said quietly. Leia inhaled sharply at the sound of her mother's name from his mouth. She fought to control herself, breathing deeply, reaching for a calm place as the Emperor moved closer to her. "You," he said, pointing at her with twisted fingers. "I know you. Who are you?"

She met his eyes steadily, unafraid. "I am Leia Organa Skywalker," she said. "Daughter of Senator Padme Amidala of Naboo, and the Jedi knight Anakin Skywalker." She felt herself standing straighter, taking strength from the knowledge of her true identity. "I was a member of the Imperial Senate until you dissolved it."

"Ha!" It was a humourless laugh, a laugh that laughed at others' misfortune and had forgotten how to laugh any other way. He turned away from her, back toward Vader. "Obi-Wan deceived you well, Lord Vader, did he not? To hide the child on Alderaan, in the royal house, and still you never knew. Where did he hide the boy?"

"Tatooine, my master."

Again that laugh. "Your own home planet! I begin to doubt your insight, my servant."

Vader moved forward, stood in front of the Emperor. Luke and Leia watched as he towered over Palpatine, though the old man showed no fear. "_Your_ insight was not so great that you could tell me of their existence," the Sith Lord growled, his anger emanating through the Force like a heat haze. "_You _thought she died on Mustafar …"

The Emperor chuckled, made no direct reply to Vader. "But now …" He turned, looking again at Luke and Leia. "Reunited with your children, you bring them before me. Why?"

"They came to me," the Dark Lord replied. "They foolishly believed they could turn me back from the dark side. I told them that was impossible."

"They are Jedi," Palpatine snapped, contempt in his voice. "Jedi are traitors to the Empire, and therefore must be destroyed."

"We are ready to fight," Luke said quietly. "We did not come here to die."

The Emperor looked at him, as if noticing him for the first time. "Then fight, Jedi. Fight with your father."

He gestured to Vader, who ignited his lightsaber and stepped forward.

Luke took a step backward, shaking his head. "No," he said. "I will not fight for your amusement. My father doesn't want to kill me, and I will only fight in self-defence. I am a Jedi."

"Lord Vader - " The Emperor gestured again, and Vader began to advance on Luke, his saber held ready in front of him. Luke stood firm, mentally daring his father to harm him, sure he would not. Leia, however, did not share his certainty. She watched with wide eyes as the Dark Lord proceeded toward her brother. At the last possible moment, when it seemed that all was lost, Luke leapt backward, out of range.

But Leia had panicked. In place of Luke's, it was her saber that met their father's.

"No!" Luke exclaimed. "_Leia!_"

But the fight was already joined. The Emperor cackled with pleasure as their sabers clashed, Vader's greater size and strength initially overwhelming Leia and giving her no chance to get away, no other option than to devote all her energies to simply keeping her feet. Luke began to edge closer to the fight, hoping for a break in Vader's onslaught, a chance for him to help her. Leia fought bravely, but eventually stumbled, losing her grip on her saber. As Vader stepped forward, Luke moved, and Leia rolled just in time to see Luke's saber block his swing.

"Get away!" he called at her over his shoulder. "Move!"

He felt her foot brush his leg as she turned to regain her feet, but then she suddenly stopped. He felt a momentary wave of shock through the Force.

"What is it?"

"I can't move." She spoke tensely, but without fear. "I can handle it. Don't worry."

He frowned, but found almost immediately that his attention was taken away from her by the necessity of defending himself against Vader. They circled away from Leia, toward the platform before the viewport.

She watched them for a moment, then focused her energies on fighting the block Palpatine had put on her. Following what Luke had taught her, she analysed the problem first. It wasn't like being paralysed, she could feel she still had the ability to move, but every tiny movement was like pushing against impossibly heavy weights, like doing loops in an X-wing without inertial dampers. So she made herself light. Rather than pushing against the resistance, and thereby adding to it, she simply slipped past it.

Palpatine watched in surprise as she slowly uncurled her body, stood, and called her lightsaber to her hand. "You are strong, young Jedi," he told her. "Your power is great. Greater perhaps than your brother's."

Leia looked over to where Luke and Vader stood, their sabers locked, before the viewport. "I don't want to fight you, father," she heard him say.

"Enough, Lord Vader," Palpatine's voice came from behind her. "Our Jedi can fight. Now I have something to show them. Come here, girl."

Leia followed him up the steps to the throne as Luke and Vader deactivated their sabers. Luke reached out to her as she got to the top of the steps, and she took his hand. "I'm sorry, Luke," she said softly.

He shook his head. "It was bravely done." Their eyes met, and for a second they took strength from each other. Then Palpatine's voice cut in again.

"Oh, brave Jedi," he taunted them, "why have you come here? To see your father? To turn him back to the light? What are your friends doing, down on the Sanctuary Moon?"

He shook off their confusion, ignored their attempts to deny they had any friends there. "I know they are there," he told them. "But what could be their purpose? Perhaps to attempt to take down our defensive shield? But what would be the use in that?" His voice grew lower, his tone cunning, and his eyes watched them sharply. "Unless, of course, there is an attack already planned on this battle station?" He feigned surprise. "But we are totally unprepared for such an attack!"

Leia grew suddenly cold, Senator C'hor's words echoing in her mind from the last meeting of the Alliance General Council. _"It could just be an elaborate trap, and if it is, we are all about to walk straight into it."_ Palpatine's mocking laugh pulled her back to the present. "Totally unprepared," he chuckled, "except, of course, for the legion of my best troops on the Sanctuary Moon, and the fleet of Star Destroyers waiting on the far side of Endor. If your Rebel fleet does not smash itself on the shield, it will be destroyed by Lord Vader's fleet. Is that not so, my servant?"

"Yes, my master."

The Emperor smiled again, thin lips revealing blackened teeth. "When do they arrive?"

Luke shook his head. Leia's thoughts yearned for Han, but she blocked him from her mind, determined not to let the Emperor sense her feelings and use them against her.

Palpatine sneered. "No matter. We can watch the whole battle from here. It should prove interesting." Vader moved to flank the throne, as the Emperor made an expansive gesture toward the viewport, as if inviting them to an elaborate entertainment. "Join us, children."

Luke and Leia turned together to look out at the starfield, the moon in the distance. Luke found himself fighting a growing feeling of frustration. He thought of Han, the man he'd come to think of as almost an older brother; he was down there on the moon, locked in battle, perhaps even a prisoner by now. Luke hoped that fate was the worst that could have befallen him. He thought of Wedge, his friend, who'd survived the first Death Star with him; he was about to emerge from hyperspace with the rest of the Alliance fleet, to meet a battle the ferocity of which they'd never anticipated. And he and Leia were stuck here, powerless to help anyone, unable to do anything but wait and watch from a safe distance, with the Alliance's most hated enemies. One of whom was their father. They'd come here to confront him, turn him away from the Emperor, but even that seemed hopeless now. All he could do was hope that the Alliance's mission to destroy this station would succeed.

And they would all die together.

"You should not underestimate the Alliance," he told Palpatine quietly. "We have overcome seemingly insurmountable odds before. We can do it again."

The Emperor's face twisted with perverse amusement. "I would not be so sure, my young Jedi," he said. "I think you will find we still have some surprises left."

"Luke!" He looked around, following Leia's gesture toward the viewport. The fleet was arriving, and the shield was still up. It did not bode well for Han's mission, but it was even worse news for the ships heading straight for the shield. He grasped her hand tightly, watching tensely as the fleet grew closer. At this distance, it wasn't possible to see in any detail, but he could at least see where the ships were, and the big Mon Calamari cruiser was easy to pick out. He watched Home One, using it as a guide to how the other pilots were behaving, willing them to see through the trap, to pull up before it was too late.

He held his breath. Then slowly, but unmistakably, Home One began to turn. He heaved a sigh of relief, feeling Leia do the same, as the fleet just managed to avoid the outer edge of the Death Star's shield.

"Lord Vader!" Palpatine snapped. Vader headed for one of the comm stations as the Emperor turned in his chair to look back at the two Jedi. "The fleet have their orders," he told them. "Your friends will not escape."

"The shield will come down," Luke said calmly. "This station will be destroyed."

"A true Rebel," the Emperor sneered. "Willing to die for the cause. But you will not enjoy that luxury today, my friend."

"You will find we are all willing to die, if it is necessary," Leia told him quietly. "You will not have won. You cannot rule through fear."

"Brave words, Senator," he taunted her. "But there is no Senate to listen to your bleeding heart now. Tell me, how does this Death Star compare to the last one?"

She blinked, wondering at the purpose of the question, but gathered herself quickly. "I only saw the detention block and a hangar bay."

"Now, your highness," he admonished, wagging his finger at her like a schoolteacher, "you saw the observation deck as well, did you not?"

She inhaled sharply, not wanting to think of it. "Yes."

"I suppose the view was better than we have here, yes?"

She nodded mutely.

"A shame. But it is adequate." He pressed a button on the comm unit built into the arm of his chair. "Commander. Stand by."

Luke looked at Leia in confusion, but she wasn't looking at him. Her eyes were wide, fixed on the view outside. "No," she whispered. With a ghastly sensation of familiarity, she became aware of an almost inaudible hum, an almost imperceptible vibration through the deck plates. Though she shook her head, she knew what it meant, as certainly as she'd ever known anything.

The Emperor laughed, a sound that sent chills down Luke's spine. "What is it?" he asked Leia, but she couldn't reply.

"Fire at will," Palpatine said into his comm.

Just as before, Leia tried to turn away. Last time, Vader had held her, made her watch. But this time, no force was needed. She stood frozen, unable to avert her eyes, watching with nightmarish fascination as the superlaser beam lanced out and incinerated one of the Alliance ships.

Only then did she react.

She gasped, suddenly realising she'd been holding her breath. "The superlaser … is functional," she whispered, barely able to speak through her horror. Luke reached for her hand again, and she felt his touch on her mind, trying to help, sending her calm. She fought to relax, but all she could see was Alderaan, happening again and again, countless planets blown to rubble, countless billions of people murdered. She knew she was shaking, but was powerless to stop it. Dimly, she felt Luke take her in his arms, holding her close to him. "Take it easy, Leia," he whispered. "Don't let him panic you." But she could barely hear him over Palpatine's taunting laughter.

"Where is your Jedi strength now?" he jeered. "Your extraordinary resolve, your power in the Force?"

She turned to face him, her vision blurred with tears. "It doesn't matter," she told him, her voice cracking. "All that matters is that this station will be destroyed. And it will be. I know it."

"You know nothing," Palpatine told her curtly. "The superlaser will be recharged, and every last one of your ships will be destroyed. Your friends will all die. And so will you."

"So long as you go with me," she snarled.

The Emperor smiled. "Are you angry with me, little Jedi?" he asked, his voice suddenly becoming soft, wheedling. "You would be justified. Release your anger, then. It is the only way to win."

Luke watched her in surprise as she stared, then suddenly laughed aloud at him. "Do you think me an idiot?" she asked, giving him a pitying look. "I will never turn to the dark side."

Palpatine's lips set in a thin, hard line. "So I see," he said, his voice furious. "Then you are of no use to me."

He stood, raising his hands in front of him. His anger was almost palpable in the atmosphere of the room. Then he made a small movement. Tendrils of brilliant blue lightning shot from his fingers, contacting Leia's body and throwing her across the platform and halfway down the steps.

Leia screamed, and Luke staggered too, feeling her pain through the Force. Vader merely stood by the throne, watching impassively. "This," Palpatine said coldly, "is the fate of those who choose to defy me."

She screamed again, as pain the like of which she had never known or even imagined coursed through her body, making her muscles spasm and her bones ache as if they were breaking apart. Luke edged closer to Vader. "Father, do something," he begged quietly. "She's your daughter. There must be something you can do. _Please_."

The Sith Lord looked at him, at Leia, and then deliberately turned his back on them, to face the viewport again, watching the battle outside. Desperate, Luke looked back at Leia, at the Emperor.

Leia no longer had the energy to cry out. She knew it was over. Not even the Force could help her now. Burying her head in her arm, she thought momentarily of Han, hoping he at least would be able to complete his mission. Then she just waited for the inevitable.

But suddenly, the pain stopped. She gasped in shock, and blinked to clear her eyes. For a moment, she was unable even to lift her head to see what Palpatine had planned for her next. She desperately called on the Force, trying to gather some strength to meet whatever it would be. Then she managed to look up.

In front of her, prostrate on the platform, lay the Emperor. Slowly, through her confusion, she realised he was dead. Above him stood Luke, his lightsaber in his hands. Weakly, hardly able to believe what she saw, she spoke his name. He turned to look at her, and she saw the dark side glowing in his eyes.

"No!" she cried. "Luke!" It had happened, just as she had seen it in her vision. He had turned. She had lost him. She tried to drag herself back up the steps to him, but she was too weak, and Vader had already noticed what he'd done. He walked toward Luke slowly.

"Well done," he said. "It is just as he foresaw it - the Skywalker has destroyed the Emperor."

His voice faded with her vision. She couldn't hold on any longer.

***


	2. Starkiller Rising: Part 1

**EPISODE I:**

**STARKILLER RISING**

**ONE**

Leia woke alone, in a bare cell. Every muscle and joint ached, and when she opened her eyes, despite the light being dim, a steel band of pain tightened across her forehead. She groaned, slowly turning over on the hard bunk and leaning up on one elbow, squinting through the pain.

What had happened? She remembered the Emperor gloating over her and Luke, promising them that their efforts to defeat him would all be vain. She had defied him, sworn that she would never turn to the dark side. And then pain, pain the like of which she had never felt before. She had thought she would die of it, was surprised in fact that she hadn't.

And then the rest of her memory came back. She hadn't died from Palpatine's attack, because Luke had intervened. Luke had killed the Emperor. And in doing so, he had played right into Palpatine's hands.

Luke had turned to the dark side.

A wave of despair washed over her, tears rising to her eyes. "No," she whispered hopelessly. "Luke, no." But she knew it was already too late. The very fact that she was here, in this cell, told her that. Luke had joined the dark side, joined Vader, just as their father had wanted. And the only reason she could see for her being alive now was because they were hoping she would join them too.

The tears ceased. That would never happen. It _could_ never happen. She would die first, just as she had promised Palpatine. But now things were worse. She'd been prepared for it earlier, ready to never see Han again. Ready to die if they could not win. But then they'd been together, she and Luke, equally determined to see it through to the end. Or so she'd thought. Now she was alone in her resolve. Now her brother was her enemy. And all because he'd wanted to save her life.

Sensing someone approaching, she wiped her eyes roughly, steeled herself to display her best regal defiance. Then she realised who was coming.

The door opened, and Luke entered her cell. "Leia," he smiled. "You're awake finally. How are you feeling?"

"I've been better," she said coldly.

He shook his head, smiling again. "Relax. You're not a prisoner. We just put you in here because we didn't want you waking up and immediately running off trying to kill people and escape."

"Then where's my lightsaber?"

"Father's looking after it for you."

She rolled her eyes. "I can guess what I have to do to get it back."

He moved closer, tried to take her hand, but she backed away from him.

"Please, Leia, don't be angry. I saved your life. I killed the Emperor. It's over."

"Over? How can you say that?"

"We did what we meant to do. We broke Palpatine's hold over Father. He surrendered to me. He said Palpatine had always foreseen that he would be destroyed by a Skywalker. He always thought it would be Father, but he was wrong. Father saw I was stronger than him. He said he would follow me, whatever I wanted to do, wherever I wanted to go. Then the shield went down; Han's team must have succeeded." Her heart leapt at the mention of his name. If his mission had succeeded, there was a chance he was alive. But she didn't dare think about him right now. She buried her feelings before Luke could notice them.

Luke continued. "We had to get off the Death Star. Father ordered a full retreat, and brought us here, to the _Executor_. We're en route for Coruscant right now."

"_That's_ where you wanted to go?"

"It seemed the most obvious choice," he said. "With the Emperor dead, the Empire is in crisis. We need to restore order."

Leia shook her head, incredulous. "What we _need_ to do is recall the Senate. Order isn't what needs to be restored, it's democracy."

He smiled at her. She'd had no idea he could look so condescending. "It's too soon for that, Leia. The galaxy is a mess - "

"Because the Empire made it one!"

The door opened behind him, revealing a lieutenant with a tray of food. Luke gestured, and the tray floated out of the man's hands and landed on the bunk beside Leia. She stared at him.

"You're still groggy from Palpatine's attack," Luke told her, smiling again. "Have your food, and I'll return later. If you're calm, we'll see about finding you more comfortable quarters."

And with that, he was gone, the lieutenant snapping to attention and marching after him. Leia just sat staring at the door, barely able to process what had just happened. Luke had lectured her - _her!_ - about politics. He wanted to restore order to the Empire. He thought the fight was over. She shivered. The Death Star was gone - it must be, if they'd fled when the shield went down. How did he plan to restore order, with the Alliance still out there, with another major victory under its belt? The questions began to come faster, each of them more unanswerable than the last. What was happening with the Alliance? Did they think she and Luke were dead? Did they know Palpatine was dead yet? If they did, what would be their next move? She dug her nails into her palms in frustration, forcing herself not to ask the most burning question of all. The ghost of his name moved through her mind and she suppressed it, buried it, buried it deeper. She couldn't think about him now, not with _them_ so close.

Them. She was already thinking of Luke and Vader as one entity. "You should have let him kill me," she whispered. "You should have let me die."

* * *

Several hours earlier, Han's eyes were drawn skyward as a new star seemed to light above Endor, even though it was daytime. He grabbed his macrobinoculars to get a better look.

He answered Chewie's growl: "Yeah, pal, it's the Death Star all right." He said nothing more. Chewie didn't comment, merely rested his hand on his partner's shoulder momentarily. Han absentmindedly patted his friend's arm, murmuring, "Yeah, pal." His thoughts were a long way away, not just with Leia and Luke, but with all the Alliance members he'd gotten to know over the past few years.

Then he shook himself. "Right, Chewie, we've got work to do." He reached for his comlink, sending out a broadcast to the Rebel strike force on the Sanctuary Moon. "Guys, the Death Star's gone. We need to secure the landing platform. All forces, make your way there." Then he climbed into the AT-ST walker that had been abandoned nearby after he'd used it to lure the Imperials out of the bunker. He sent another broadcast message, on a different frequency: "All Imperial troops. This is Alliance General Han Solo. The Death Star has been destroyed. Your commanders are dead. You are advised to surrender immediately."

Then he and Chewie, accompanied by Artoo, Threepio, and a complement of Ewoks, began making their way to the landing platform, hoping they wouldn't encounter too much resistance along the way.

As it happened, most of the Imperials they met were no threat to them at all, as they were busy defending themselves against angry Ewoks. Threepio attempted to apprise the Ewoks they met of the change in the situation, and convince them it was no longer necessary to beat the hell out of every trooper they saw. The Ewoks saw it differently, however. The Empire had never been renowned for its kindness to indigenous species, especially those they saw as primitive, and the Ewoks were simply paying it back. In the end, Han had to mostly let it go. Securing the landing platform was his main priority. That and contacting the fleet.

The platform personnel had surrendered by the time they arrived there, and the comms expert was already slicing the system to accept the Alliance code. He watched the man like a hawk until he was done, and barely waited for him to vacate the workstation before hailing Home One.

"Admiral Ackbar, you there? Solo here."

The warm Mon Calamari voice came back. "General Solo, congratulations. This is a great day for the Alliance."

"Thanks, Admiral. How are things up there?"

"The Imperial forces have fled, General. As soon as the shield went down, they began recalling their fighters. A few shuttles left the Death Star, and the fleet ran for lightspeed. We took out another Star Destroyer before they left, but it was a well-organised retreat. General Madine is sending reinforcements to help secure the Sanctuary Moon. They should be with you shortly."

"So … it's over?"

"It's over, General, and we won. The Empire has been dealt a crushing blow. With both Palpatine and Vader dead, the Alliance could not be in a better position."

Han frowned. He should be pleased. But something didn't seem right. "You_ are_ sure they're both dead, right? If shuttles were seen leaving the Death Star …"

"This is not a welcome thought … But you may be right. I'll have the transmissions checked and get back to you."

"Thanks. Uh … one more thing, Admiral?"

"Yes?"

"Have you had any contact from Luke Skywalker or Leia Organa?"

The Admiral sounded confused. "I thought they were on the moon with you?"

"It's a long story. I'll have to tell you later."

"I see. I'm sorry, General. There's no log for any contact with either of them up here."

"Okay," he sighed. "Thanks, Admiral. Solo out."

* * *

Darth Vader stood at the viewport of his quarters on the _Executor_, watching hyperspace twist itself into chaos outside. The day had gone well, on the whole, he thought. The Emperor was dead, his boy had certainly lived up to his potential. And the way seemed clear for him, with his children's help, to restore order to this unbalanced galaxy.

The one problem was likely to be Leia. She was strong, far stronger than the boy, he had known that from the moment he had begun interrogating her on the first Death Star. Perhaps she could be made to see reason, but if she did not, things would be more difficult without her. Not impossible, but difficult.

He turned as the door opened and his son entered the room.

"How is she?" he asked.

"She's recovering physically," Luke told him. "But she's stubborn. She won't be convinced easily."

"No more than I expected," the Dark Lord said. "In time, she will accept the truth. Now, my son, we must plan for our arrival at Coruscant."

Luke nodded, but Vader felt him hesitate. "Are you sure …?" he began. "I … Leia thinks -"

"You said yourself she is stubborn," Vader interrupted. "She will not easily be made to see reason in this matter. We must work with her, that much is clear. But in the meantime … should we allow the galaxy to fall further into chaos? Or should we do what we can to maintain order until a new leader can be found?"

Luke frowned, nodded slowly. "Yes … what you say makes sense."

"Good. Then let us begin."

* * *

Han put down his datapad, and raked his fingers through his hair. The information the Admiral had found showed that it had been Darth Vader who had ordered the retreat, mere moments after the shield went down. There had also been a transmission ordering the _Executor_ to prepare for his arrival. There was no mention of him bringing Palpatine with him, or any prisoners.

His eyes stung. Was this it, then? Was she gone? He couldn't put it together. Obviously, Vader had known when the shield went down, everyone with command responsibilities on the Death Star would have known. But where were Leia and Luke at the time? The last he had known, they had left him to contact Vader on this moon, and they were expecting Vader would take them to the Death Star. That had been last night. Allowing an hour for them to reach him, then a couple of hours to travel to the station, and given that Vader was there, they would most likely have been up there by the time his team had begun their attack on the generators. That left a gap of several hours, in which anything could have happened.

One thing he knew: if Leia had got off the Death Star under her own steam, she would have made contact with him by now. She would have found a way. So either she was a prisoner, or she was dead. He didn't really want to think about either of those options, but couldn't see beyond them.

A sudden cacophony from the next room distracted him. His team were in there, celebrating their victory, but the noise they were making now didn't sound like celebration. Page stuck his head around the door.

"General, you need to see this."

They were watching Holonet News. One of the men rewound so he could see the full report.

_Welcome to Holonet News. I'm Sasugi Lindstub. We have just received information that the Emperor has been killed in a terrorist attack. Emperor Palpatine was on an inspection tour of a construction site in the Moddell Sector when the so-called Rebel Alliance mounted a vicious attack. The entire site was destroyed, with the loss of many thousands of lives, our dear Emperor among them. _

_Reports are sketchy so far, but it seems that Lord Darth Vader was fortunate enough to escape with his life. He is on his way back to the capital now, and we promise we will have an interview with him as soon as he arrives. _

_This is devastating news. We have lost a great man, a man who has done so much for the galaxy over the past three decades. He began his career in galactic politics as a senator - _

"Turn it off," Han growled. "No, wait - kill the sound but leave it on. I want to see what Vader has to say when he gets there."

It had been a stupid plan, he realised. Allowing Leia and Luke to go to him alone, in secret. He and Chewie, and those droids, were the only ones who knew where they had gone. They were on the MIA list now, presumed lost in the ground battle until anyone found out otherwise. But anyone - apart from him - who was looking for them was looking in the wrong place. If they'd stayed on the Death Star, they were dead. If they'd left with Vader … they'd probably be dead soon. They would be prize prisoners - the boy who had destroyed the first Death Star, and the woman who'd been one of the most prominent members of the Alliance for many years.

He couldn't decide if what he felt was a glimmer of hope that they were still alive, or a shiver of fear for their fate. Which was worse, after all? To die in battle, fighting for something you believed in, or to meet your end in a sterile room at the hands of a cold-blooded Imperial executioner? He shook himself - as if he'd leave them to be executed without trying to do something about it - and dived for the comm station. "Home One, this is Solo. Get me Mon Mothma or General Madine. Chewie, get a shuttle ready, we need to meet with the brass."

* * *

Leia had eaten as much as she could of the food Luke had left for her. Then, finding herself overcome by a wave of exhaustion, she had given herself over to sleep, and the healing powers of the Force. When she woke, her pain was gone, and her mind was much clearer.

She smelled caf. Opening her eyes, she saw a table and two chairs had been moved into the cell. On the table were two mugs, and sitting in one of the chairs was Luke.

His smile chilled her, now. "Feeling better?" he asked. "Come and have a drink. I need to fill you in on the plan."

She took a seat, sniffed at the caf suspiciously. "Don't worry," Luke grinned. "No drugs. I told you, you're not a prisoner."

"Then what am I?"

"You're alive." He tried to reach for her hand again, but she pulled hers away. "Look, Leia," he began again. "I know you don't trust us yet, but you will, soon enough. Father's busy right now, but when he has time to explain things to you, you'll understand. He has a plan."

She laughed humourlessly. "I'm sure he does."

Luke shook his head. "You'll see. We'll be arriving on Coruscant soon, and when we do, Father has to give a press conference. We're going directly to the Imperial palace, where we'll be safe until he can reveal our presence. We're going to sort this whole mess out. I promise. The galaxy will be at peace again."

"With Vader as Emperor?"

"No. He doesn't want that. I can't tell you everything yet, but you'll see when you talk to him."

"I don't _want_ to talk to him. I already tried that back on the Death Star, and look where it got me. We shouldn't be here, Luke. We shouldn't be doing this. It's insane."

His expression hardened. "No, it isn't. I feel the Force. This is the right thing to do."

"The only thing you feel is the dark side. He's using you, like Palpatine used him. Search your feelings."

He slammed his fist on the table. "I _have!_ It's you who doesn't understand." He suddenly became calm again. "No, it's all right. You don't see the full picture yet." He paused. "And it's all happened very fast. You must be worried about Han." He felt her react to the mention of his name, even though it only lasted a millisecond before she hid it again. "Yes. I see you are. It's quite possible he survived the battle, you know. I could find out, have him brought to you …"

"No!" _Damn it._ She needed to control herself better. "If you send troops after him, he'll just kill them. And you can't send bounty hunters, not with his history. Just … leave him out of it." An overwhelming sadness she shouldn't be allowing herself to feel filled her.

Luke smiled gently. "That's brave of you. You're right, though. You have to leave him behind, even if he is alive. It's for his own good."

She couldn't even trust herself to look at him.

Luke's comlink sounded. He answered it. "Yes, Commander?"

"We're coming out of hyperspace, my lord. Your escort will be with you shortly."

"Thank you, Commander. We'll be ready."

He turned back to Leia. "_My lord?"_ she grimaced.

He shrugged. "Doesn't matter right now. Do I have your word you won't try anything foolish during the journey?"

She nodded, sadly. Even if she could escape, there would be no point. There was nothing useful she could do right now, nowhere she could think of to go. All she could do for now was wait. She would not despair. She would just wait.

* * *

If it had been anyone other than Vader, the media would have mobbed him. But they knew better than that. They kept a respectful distance, and waited to ask their questions as they were invited to. Vader began with a prepared statement.

"This is a dark day for the Empire. As you already know, we have lost our Emperor. The Rebel Alliance, striking from a hidden base near Sullust, attacked a construction site in the Endor system, while I and my master were on an inspection visit. Unfortunately, they succeeded in destroying the entire site, killing many thousands of loyal Imperials, and of course, our leader. I deeply regret that I was not able to save my master, but I was fortunate to escape with my own life, and that only with help.

"I am gladdened to hear that most of our fleet was able to escape the scene unharmed, and I assure you that the terrorists responsible for this attack _will_ be hunted down and _will_ be destroyed.

"Your questions?"

"Lord Vader, may I ask exactly how the Emperor died?"

"The facility had been infiltrated by a Jedi. His Excellency was taken by surprise, and, not being present at the time, I was unable to reach him quickly enough to prevent his murder. I, of course, executed the Jedi immediately, so rest assured there will be no further threat from that quarter."

"Thank you. You said you had help to escape before the destruction of the facility. Can you describe what happened?"

"Of course. I was injured during my fight with the Jedi. A young worker from the facility discovered me as I was attempting to make my escape from the facility. He helped me get to a shuttle bay."

"What happened to him after that?"

"Unfortunately, he was severely injured as we escaped. There was an explosion in the bay due to the Rebel attack. He is undergoing medical treatment right now, and it is my hope he will survive so that he can be suitably rewarded for his loyalty to the Empire."

* * *

Mon Mothma smiled at Han as he entered the conference room. "General Solo, congratulations on the success of your mission."

Han nodded brusquely as he took a seat at the table. "Thanks."

"Now, you said you had some urgent information about Luke Skywalker and Leia Organa?"

"Yeah. It's my fault, really. I shouldn't have let them do it. They wanted to try to talk to Vader, as their father, try to make him see the error of his ways. I knew it was nuts, but - damn Jedi can be so convincing. I agreed to take them to the Sanctuary Moon on my shuttle, but they were never going to be part of my mission." He glanced at Madine. "Sorry, General. I'm going to resign anyway, so - "

"We'll talk about that later," Madine said gruffly. "On with the story."

He nodded tiredly. "Okay. So they left me the night before the attack on the shield generator. Vader was on the moon, and they planned to meet with him. They seemed sure he'd want to take them to the Death Star to meet with the Emperor. Since Vader was on the Death Star when the attack went down, I assume they were right." He sighed. "So either they were taken prisoner, or they died there. I don't know which."

Mon Mothma and Madine looked at each other. "Vader arrived back at Coruscant and made a statement while you were in transit," she said, activating a viewing console. "I think you should watch it now. I'm sorry."

Han watched with horror as Vader described the Jedi attack and his escape. "Stang," he growled. "No prisoners."

Mon Mothma nodded sadly. "I'm afraid so. It seems like the Jedi he referred to was either Luke or Leia, perhaps both of them. They succeeded in killing the Emperor, but fell to Vader."

He shook his head. "Why only mention one of them, though? Doesn't make sense."

Mon Mothma looked thoughtful. "Perhaps he intended to play down the threat. After all, the Empire was supposed to have wiped out the Jedi years ago. One Jedi could be a lone renegade, but two might imply organisation. Even a resurgence of the order as a whole."

"And of course, he wouldn't want people thinking about that," Madine agreed.

"Or his whole story could be a complete lie," Han insisted. "Maybe he's claiming to have killed them, but he didn't. Maybe they escaped, just like he did. Just because we haven't heard from them yet …"

Mon Mothma looked at him with sympathy. "There may be a chance. But once the search and rescue missions are complete, if they have not been found, then we will have to assume they are … lost. I'm sorry, General."

"Right. I'm assigning myself to search and rescue detail then. See you later."

* * *

Luke would tell her nothing. Whatever she asked, the answer was the same: wait for Father. They'd travelled to the Imperial Palace in a closed speeder and docked in an internal hangar. No-one was there to meet them. They were escorted by the same troops who had guarded them since they left her cell. They had been brought to a lounge, a protocol droid had brought them drinks, and then they had been left alone. Leia knew better than to assume they weren't being watched, though it made no difference. She was a Jedi. If she acted quickly enough, she could have Luke's lightsaber off his belt and in her hand in a fraction of a second. And then …

"Don't try it," he told her.

"I wasn't going to," she said. "If I was, you wouldn't have heard me thinking about it."

He nodded. "Of course. I trained you well."

Leia sighed. "What do you think Obi-Wan would think about what you're doing right now, Luke? Or Yoda?"

He shook his head at her. "I told you, wait for Father to get here. He'll explain everything. Then you'll see the truth."

"Fine. Just think about it, okay?"

There was a momentary flash of anger in his eyes. "I've _thought_ about it. I know what I'm doing. You used to trust me, Leia."

She allowed him to feel her sadness. "Yes, I did," she agreed. "But I won't blindly follow you when I don't even know what path you're on."

"It's the right path," he insisted. "Once you see that, you will have no more doubts."

Suddenly, he lifted his head. "He's on his way," he said. "You feel it?"

Leia nodded. There was no mistaking the presence of the Dark Lord. Now that it was familiar to her, she realised she'd always been able to feel it - long before she was a Jedi, even before she had any idea she was even Force-sensitive. The first time she'd seen Vader in person, flanking Palpatine in the Senate, his dark presence had made her shiver. It was the same now, but now that she knew what caused those feelings, she no longer feared him.

The door opened, and he crossed the threshold, stooping a little as he passed through the slightly-too-small doorway. Luke stepped forward to meet him, like he was greeting an old friend. "How did it go?"

"It went well," Vader rumbled. "There was no trouble on your journey?"

"No. Everything was fine."

He took a seat, gestured for them to sit too. Leia chose to remain standing.

He looked at her. "I see becoming a Jedi has not diminished your obstinacy. Please, there is no reason not to be comfortable."

She shrugged. "I'm comfortable here, thank you."

"Very well." He gestured, and a drink floated from the table across to her, so she had only two options: take it, or allow it to fall to the floor. She took it, but did not drink.

"Now, my children. We must plan. The Emperor is dead, thanks to Luke here." There was pride in his voice, and Luke smiled at it, inclining his head in thanks. "And we are now the greatest power in this galaxy."

Leia broke in. "If you think the Alliance will sit still and allow you to take over the Empire, you're sadly mistaken."

"No, Princess, it is you who are mistaken. I have no intention of taking over the Empire. It is _you_ who will do that."

"_What?_"

He gave the ghost of a laugh. "There, you see. You can be surprised by me. Of _course_ I do not expect the Alliance to accept the death of the Emperor lightly. There will be a legal challenge, they will ask for the Senate to be recalled, and a new leader to be legally elected. I will convince the Moffs and what remains of the Ruling Council that this is the best course of action. There will be a Senate again, and it will choose you as its leader. _You_ will rule the galaxy, Princess, not I."

She was aghast. She looked over at Luke. He was smiling at her. "You see? I told you you'd understand."

Leia couldn't believe what she was hearing. "You want _me_ … to be the figurehead of a puppet Senate … and stand at the head of the _Empire_?"

Vader shrugged. "If you want to put it like that …"

She couldn't help but laugh. "You're insane. I abhor everything the Empire stands for. I joined the Alliance to help remove the Empire from power, not take it over myself."

"Don't be foolish, Leia. You were raised for this. You grew up as a Princess. You were one of the youngest Senators ever to take a seat in the chamber. You were one of the most popular and charismatic leaders the Rebellion ever had. This is your destiny."

She shook her head, appalled. "No … No, it isn't! What the Alliance wants is to restore a democratic system, one where representatives are directly elected by the people, not chosen by an elite. And _that's _what you are proposing. You're not trying to convince me to stand for election, you're trying to convince me to be your puppet, and I _won't_ do it."

Vader waved his hand dismissively. "You would be nobody's puppet, Leia, I know better than that. Once in power, you would be free to make what decisions you wished. You could use your inauguration speech to resign and immediately call a fresh election, if you wished."

She almost thought about it, then. It would have been her instinct to do just that. But no. "It's wrong," she said. "I feel it. I _know_ it."

"I only want to ensure that the galaxy gets the strong leadership it deserves," he insisted. "Look at Chancellor Valorum. He was weak, that was why the Republic collapsed."

"No," she insisted. "That's not why. Valorum had weaknesses, but he was manipulated and used by Palpatine to further his own ends. Palpatine destroyed the Republic, and the Jedi, to gather all the power to himself. And you helped him."

"Something needed to be done. You were not there at the time. You do not know what it was like."

"My father was there. I mean - Bail Organa."

Vader's anger rose to the surface. "That man was a traitor. He and your other Rebel friends plotted against Palpatine at every turn. Obi-Wan and Yoda betrayed me by giving my child to him. And now I see the result of it."

"Your own wife was a part of that group," she reminded him.

"_And she died because of it!_" he roared. "Enough! I will speak to you no more today. Luke, come with me."

Luke gave her a look that was half-angry, half-pitying, as he rose and followed Vader from the room. Leia sighed. _This_ was the big plan? How could they possibly have thought she would go along with it? Leia Organa, Empress of the galaxy! It was ridiculous.

She sat down. Obviously, that wasn't the end of it. It was just the beginning. Their ultimate goal was to have her join them on the dark side, and they wouldn't give up trying yet. That was foolish of them. The Emperor had realised straight away he couldn't turn her, and he had acted accordingly. Yet they thought they could succeed where he had failed. They were deluding themselves. She couldn't be taken in by his claims to family as Luke had been. She had loved her adoptive parents, she didn't feel the need for a new father figure.

It was different for Luke. He had grown up far away from the centres of galactic power. He had loved his aunt and uncle, but a moisture farm on Tatooine was a narrow environment for someone with his potential, and that was why he had always looked beyond, always needed something more. That need made him vulnerable. She nodded to herself, sadly. She should have seen that sooner. If she had, she might have been able to prevent his fall. But it was too late now. All she could do was try and bring him back. No, wait - _there is no try._ She _would _bring him back, if it was in any way possible. And she would do whatever was necessary to achieve that. Even kill Vader if she had to. Whoever he was.

An hour had passed before she realised no-one was coming for her. She'd expected to be moved to a cell, but it seemed they thought this room was secure enough. She reached out in the Force, found two guards stationed outside the only door into the room. Checking the comm station, she found it was disabled, no surprise there. There was no connection to the Holonet either. There were no storage spaces in the room, and not even a window to look out of. The only other door led to a small bathroom. It did make an effective prison, they were right. And she knew the rules of being imprisoned: rest when they leave you alone, eat when they feed you, stay alert, stay calm. Be ready.

She followed the rules.

* * *

"Got another blip. _Falcon_, you're closest. Any room left?"

"Plenty," Han replied to the comm. "On our way."

Chewbacca growled as Han adjusted course for the distress beacon. He was worried about his partner, who had barely spoken other than to respond to Control and give him orders since returning from his meeting with Mon Mothma and General Madine. All he could get out of him was that Luke and Leia may be out there with the stranded and injured, and they were going to stay out here until their hold was full or someone else found them.

Han flipped switches and adjusted toggles as they approached the latest casualty, activating the tractor beam as soon as they were close enough and opening the airlock at the top hatch. He had done this so many times now, and every time he had been disappointed. He'd saved many lives in the last few hours, but he didn't care. All he cared about was finding Leia and Luke, and he hadn't done that yet.

He hit the comm. "Got him, Quinn?"

"Yes, sir," came the reply from the medic. "He doesn't look good though. We're going to have to get this one straight to the medical frigate."

Han shook his head. "No time. This area has to be cleared before the debris from the Death Star reaches it. If we go to the hospital ship now, we'll never make it back in time."

"Sir … we have to go. You know I only have emergency equipment with me, this guy will die if he has to wait."

"And everyone still out there will die while we save him."

Chewbacca howled emphatically, demanding Han listen to the medic. Han shook his head. "Can't we transfer him to another transport? They can take him back, and we can keep searching."

"Sir, there's no time! You said it yourself, the debris is on its way, we've done all we can."

Han reached for the throttle. "I'm not -" He stopped as Chewie grabbed his wrist, growling low in his throat. The worst part was, Han knew his partner was right. They had done all they could. If they were to stay around now, not only would they be killing the man they had just rescued, but they would also be risking the lives of all the others they had already picked up. Not to mention their own.

He shook his head, defeated. "No," he said flatly. "That's not what Leia or Luke would want. All right, pal, I give in. We're out of here."

The medic heaved a sigh of relief as the _Falcon_ turned and made for the medical frigate. Han slumped back in his seat, closing his eyes. _I'm sorry, Leia. I tried …_


	3. Starkiller Rising: Part 2

**TWO**

Mon Mothma stepped forward. She looked over the groups of generals, admirals, and other ranking personnel in the briefing room, and glanced up at the holocam, knowing her image was being broadcast across the fleet and down on the Sanctuary Moon. It was a crucial moment for the Alliance, and they all knew it.

"Greetings to you all," she began. "As you know, we won an important victory here yesterday. We destroyed the second Death Star, and we destroyed the Emperor. However, our victory is not yet complete, though our goal is in sight. Darth Vader survived, and has returned to Coruscant to regroup with what remains of the Ruling Council. We have decided the time is right to openly challenge the right of the Empire to rule. To that end, I will be travelling to confer with former senators sympathetic to our cause, to put together a case for the recall of the Senate, and the re-establishment of a democratic system of government for the galaxy.

"At this moment, I would like to remember those of our comrades, and friends, who were lost in this battle, not least among them Commander Luke Skywalker and Princess Leia Organa, two of our greatest heroes. Many of you knew that they had recently become Jedi knights, and I can now reveal that they were on the Death Star during our attack, confronting the Emperor and Darth Vader. Evidence suggests that it was them - or at least one of them - who was responsible for the death of Emperor Palpatine, and for this we owe them a great debt of gratitude. I am sure you join me in mourning their loss, along with the loss of all our other fallen comrades. There will be a memorial assembly to honour them all at a later date." She paused for a moment.

"However, as Princess Leia herself used to say, we have no time for our sorrows. As Lord Vader is back on Coruscant, and a good proportion of his fleet escaped with him, there can be no doubt that the Empire will be preparing to return here in force. We cannot be here when they arrive. To that end, evacuation will begin immediately to a new rendezvous point. General Madine."

Madine stepped forward. "The capital ships will leave as soon as the smaller vessels are cleared from their hangars and fighters are loaded. Clearing will begin immediately on conclusion of this meeting. Troop transports will leave as soon as they are loaded. All non-essential personnel on the Sanctuary Moon should report to their commanding officers immediately, and assemble at the landing platform for transfer. I anticipate evacuation should be complete within three hours. Good luck, and see you all at the rendezvous."

Chewie turned to say something to Han, realised his friend was no longer sitting beside him. He suddenly had a bad feeling, and rushed back to the hangar bay to find the _Falcon_.

It didn't take him long to get there: an anxious Wookiee was not a being anyone really wanted to get in the way of. It took merely a second to get the hatch unlocked, and then he was storming through the ship, yelling for Han at the top of his voice.

He found him in the cockpit.

Han looked round at his noisy copilot. "What's your problem? I just wanted to get a jump on the evacuation."

Chewie wondered, in that case, why he hadn't let him know that.

Han shrugged. Looking closer, the Wookiee noticed the dark circles under his friend's eyes, the tight lines around his mouth. He whined questioningly.

Han sighed. "Yeah, all right, I couldn't take it. When she talked about Leia and Luke … I was gonna lose it if I stayed in there. I can't believe they're gone, pal."

Chewbacca began telling him that was understandable, but Han shook his head. "No, I mean I _really_ don't believe it. You think Vader could take down both of them, just like that, and still get off the Death Star in time? It doesn't make sense."

Chewie growled, and Han grimaced. "Yeah, I know you've seen Jedi do some pretty impressive stuff, but Luke and Leia aren't battle droids or clone troopers, they're Jedi too. Or they were … or … Stang, I don't know, pal. I think I'm losing it."

Chewie patted his friend on the shoulder as the comm crackled to life. "_Falcon_, you're cleared for takeoff. Rendezvous coordinates transmitted. See you there."

Han toggled the switch. "Thanks, Control." He looked round at Chewie. "I guess we're out of here."

* * *

Leia woke to find a protocol droid standing over her. "Good morning, ma'am," he said. "I have brought your breakfast." He gestured at the table.

She nodded. "Thank you."

The droid did not leave while she ate. If it hadn't been for his greeting, she wouldn't have had any idea what time of day it was. There was no chrono in the room, no window, and the artificial light level hadn't changed.

"So … what's the plan?" she asked. The droid regarded her quizzically. "I'm sorry, Ma'am, but I am unable to provide you with any information. Please remain patient until Lord Vader is available to meet with you."

Leia sighed. Waiting had always been one of the things she liked least to do, and while her Jedi training had helped her become more patient, it hadn't changed her so much that she didn't still get twitchy. Of course, Luke would know that. He knew all her weaknesses. That made him a bigger danger to her than Vader, now. And that made her sad, which in turn made her weaker still. All in all, she couldn't think of a worse situation to be in. She would have to be far, far stronger than she had ever been if she was going to survive this. And she would have to do it alone.

Of course, being alone was nothing new for Leia. She'd started getting used to it from the moment her home planet had been destroyed in front of her eyes. After that, it had taken a long time before she could trust herself to get close to anyone, but eventually she had managed to build herself something of a support network, with Han and Luke at the centre of it, naturally. She'd fought her feelings for them at first, but once she'd given in and allowed herself to love them, things had been easier for her. They were about to get an awful lot harder now.

The droid waited for her to finish eating, then took the tray and left, without another word. She returned to the couch, to wait some more. But it was only a few minutes before Luke and Vader returned.

"Good morning, Leia," Vader greeted her. She couldn't help flinching, at least internally, at him using her first name. It felt so wrong. But she realised it was probably calculated to unsettle her. She should be expecting it, and more.

"How are you?" Luke asked. "You must be so bored, stuck in here by yourself. I'm sorry."

She shrugged. "I'm fine. Though a window would be nice."

He smiled. "I'm sure it would. Though if you were to be more reasonable, we could make you a lot more comfortable."

"I told you I'm not interested in your proposals. I will not be a figurehead for the Empire."

Vader leaned forward. "You do not understand the power you could have. You hesitate only out of fear."

She shook her head emphatically. "I'm not afraid."

"Yes, you are. You fear power. You think it will destroy you. But it will make you stronger. Look at your brother."

She looked at him, and her throat tightened. "I'm sorry, Luke. I failed you. I let you fall."

He gave her a confused look. "Is that what you think? I haven't fallen, Leia!"

"Look at what you're doing, Luke."

"I'm doing what we always wanted to do: making the galaxy a better place."

"It doesn't look any better to me."

He actually laughed. "Well, you're stuck in a room with no window, aren't you?"

She sighed. "Then I guess I'm going to be here for the rest of my life, because I'm not going to change my mind."

Vader spoke again. "Do you realise this is the only way to ensure the safety of your friends? Only you have the power to protect them. If you do not, they will be hunted down and destroyed."

She sighed again. "Some of them have been living with that threat for more than twenty years already. They're not afraid, they know what is right, and they wouldn't want me to betray what they fight for. Not even to save their lives. Or my own."

Vader looked at Luke. "Please leave us for a moment," he said. Luke nodded, then got up and left the room. A chill ran down Leia's spine as Vader stood and removed his lightsaber from his belt. He looked at her, then put the saber on the table.

"Let us speak plainly," he said. "You must realise that he is now mine. He will do whatever I ask of him. You have lost him."

"No," she argued. "Luke is a good man. He may have been taken in by your lies, but he is not lost." Her eyes flicked to the saber, and he saw it.

"Then how will you bring him back?" he asked slowly. "How will you break my hold over him? You think of killing me. But you must know that if you kill me, he will never forgive you."

Leia didn't hesitate. She called the saber to her hand and was already slashing at his neck before she realised it was not lit. She thumbed the activation stud again. Nothing.

Vader nodded. "I see." The saber flew from her hand and back into his. "I removed the control crystal before entering the room, just in case. But now I see the magnitude of the task that lies before us."

The door opened again, and Luke ran in, his face a mask of distress. "How _could_ you?" he demanded. "He's your father!"

Leia hung her head, defeated. She couldn't say anything. She knew she should have sensed his deception, but she had been too impatient. She had rushed, she had failed, and now Luke was further away from her than ever.

* * *

Luke had to hurry to keep up with Vader's long stride. "Father," he called after him. "Are you all right? I can't believe she did that."

Vader didn't pause. "Now you see how determined she is."

He turned down the corridor, and Luke followed him to an office, where Vader, instead of sitting down, crossed to the window and just stood there, looking out at the cityscape. Luke said nothing, leaving him to his thoughts.

Eventually, the Dark Lord spoke. "I think we should consider the possibility that she may never turn," he said. "If she will not, then we must have another plan in reserve. And we must begin putting it into practice now."

"What do you intend?" Luke asked.

The Dark Lord turned to look at him. "We know the Alliance will challenge the Empire's right to rule," he said. "And we know our best course of action is to allow the challenge to succeed. We have both foreseen this."

Luke nodded. "Yes."

"If she turns, she will be the ideal leader. But if she will not, someone else will have to do it."

"So we need to find an alternative leader, then."

"We have already found him, my son."

"We have?"

"Yes. It is you, my son."

Luke stared. "But … how? I'm an enemy of the Empire, my name and my face are both known from the first Death Star. No-one would accept me as leader."

Vader nodded. "That is why we must give you a new identity."

Luke was still confused. "But … someone can't come out of nowhere and become leader of the galaxy, just like that."

"Exactly," Vader agreed. "Which is why we need to begin now. Your new persona must become known to the galaxy, soon. As long as you are known before the challenge is made, you will be in place to become the galaxy's new leader when the time is right."

Luke smiled, nodded as the plan became clear to him. "So who am I going to be?"

The Dark Lord needed only a second to think. "We will call you Lord Starkiller."

Luke grinned. "I like it."

"Good. You will need a disguise, and a credible story to explain it. You remember when we arrived on Coruscant, and I described my rescue from the Death Star by a young man who was injured in the escape?"

"Yes … you were planning for this already?"

"The Emperor taught me to always have a contingency plan. There was no guarantee that Leia would prove amenable to our plans. Though she was always the best option, I knew if she did prove intractable we would need something in reserve."

"Father, you're a genius."

* * *

When Chewie realised he hadn't seen Han for several hours, he had to go looking for him again. He was back in the cockpit, staring blankly out at the swirling maelstrom of hyperspace.

He looked round when he heard his partner approaching. "You know, pal, I've been doing some thinking, and I'm wondering if it mightn't be time to call it a day with the Rebellion."

Chewie growled a question.

"It's just … with Leia gone … and the kid, I don't really know what I'm doing there any more. I didn't join up to fight the Empire, not really. I'm not a politician. And if I stick around, it's only going to remind me that they're both dead and it's my kriffing fault."

Chewie disagreed, pointing out that he had argued in favour of Luke and Leia's plan too, so if Han wanted to blame anyone, it should be him.

Han shook his head. "Nice try, pal, but I was in charge. Whatever went down on that mission was my responsibility. I was stupid enough to let them convince me to take them to the moon -"

Chewie pointed out they would have gotten there some other way if he hadn't, but Han just shook his head again.

"If I'd stopped them, they wouldn't be dead."

Chewie's temper was rising now. He demanded to know just how Han expected he would have been able to stop two Jedi doing what they thought they had to do.

Han had no answer for that. He dropped his head in his hands, and felt Chewie put a hand on his shoulder. He couldn't speak. He missed her so much. He never thought he'd lose her, not like this. He thought they'd both die, if anything. Or that he would die trying to destroy the shield generator, and she would survive. He'd never thought of what he would do if Leia didn't make it.

Then a terrible thought crossed his mind. What if they'd actually escaped from Vader, and were trying to find their way off the Death Star when it blew? That would mean he'd effectively killed them himself. He choked. "No," he moaned. Chewie wrapped him in his arms, and he sobbed against his partner's shoulder. "It's my fault," was all he could say. "It's my fault."

* * *

_Welcome to Holonet News. I'm Sasugi Lindstub. Today's main story: the Rebel Alliance has issued a challenge to the Empire's right to rule. The full challenge runs to many thousands of words, but the short version is this: with the Emperor dead, the Rebels claim there is no legitimate reason for the Empire to continue to exist. They believe that, as the Empire was created by Emperor Palpatine, it should die with him. They demand that the Senate be recalled, and the Republic be restored. _

_The challenge has been greeted with shock throughout the galaxy. Access your local channels for reactions within your own system. Some sector governors report they have already received communications calling for them to support the challenge. Later, we will be speaking to Moff Chen-Lai and getting his reaction. The Ruling Council is also believed to be giving the challenge serious consideration. The Council has been meeting all day, and an official statement is expected soon._

_In other news, Lord Starkiller today gave Holonet News an exclusive interview. Lord Vader yesterday revealed Starkiller as the young man who had rescued him from the Rebel attack on the construction site over Endor. I spoke to him in the Imperial Palace, and he discussed the extraordinary circumstances which led to him saving Lord Vader's life, and his current position on Lord Vader's staff. It's a fascinating watch, so stay locked for that._

_

* * *

_

"Lord Starkiller, thank you for speaking to us."

Starkiller inclined his head. He was an imposing figure. He wore a black tunic, richly embroidered in shades of grey, embellished and padded around the shoulders and chest. The theme continued with black trousers and black boots, but it was the headgear that drew the attention first. It was something between a mask and a hood - the face completely covered with a fine black reflective mesh that meant he could see out, but even in the strongest light, no-one could see in.

"I understand you wear the mask because of the injuries you sustained while saving Lord Vader's life, is that right?"

"It is indeed. I was severely burned, so that any light or heat on my skin now causes me intolerable pain. My eyes are also extremely sensitive, so this mask and these clothes are the only things that make it possible for me to live an almost normal life."

"I understand Lord Vader himself paid for all your medical treatment out of gratitude for your actions."

"That is correct."

"So, please, tell me what happened on the construction site over Endor."

Starkiller sighed. "It was horrible. The Rebels attacked without mercy, with no thought or concern for loss of life. They were relentless. At first we feared only for our fleet colleagues, thinking there could be no threat to the facility itself, because of the defensive shield generated from the nearby Sanctuary Moon. We didn't know the Rebels had also infiltrated the moon. Once we realised they'd taken down the facility's defensive shield, everyone panicked. We were all rushing for the escape shuttles at the same time, and many more people were killed in the panic. Not wanting to be crushed, as I'd seen happen to others, I was heading for an auxiliary shuttle bay via a lesser-known route when I came across Lord Vader. He was injured, so I helped him to the shuttle bay. At that point, one of the Rebel ships fired a proton torpedo into the bay, and I was injured in the blast. Then Lord Vader became _my _rescuer. I barely remember what happened, the pain of my injuries was so severe, but Lord Vader dragged me to the shuttle, and managed to pilot it back to the _Executor_. I'm afraid the next few days were a blur, but eventually I recovered from my injuries, and here I am."

"It's an amazing story. You displayed incredible courage."

Starkiller made a self-deprecating gesture. "Thank you. But I'm sure I only did what any other loyal citizen of the Empire would have done."

"So tell us how Lord Vader has rewarded you for your bravery, please."

"Lord Vader has been generous beyond my imagining. Far more than I deserve. Not only did he make sure I got the best medical treatment available, he has personally overseen my rehabilitation, and even trained with me himself to help me recover. And now that I am close to being fully recovered, he has given me a position on his staff, so I can continue to serve the Empire."

"Tell us about the lightsaber." That was the second thing to draw the attention about Starkiller - the lightsaber that rode on his belt. That ancient weapon, now so rarely seen - only in museums, and of course on the belt of his benefactor, Lord Darth Vader.

"Lord Vader gave it to me. Training with it has helped restore my reflexes and agility quicker than any other kind of rehabilitation could have."

"But it's the weapon of a Jedi. Does using it make you a Jedi?"

Starkiller laughed. "Is my Lord Vader a Jedi? Of course not. I have no aspirations to that ancient delusion they called the Force. I used it as a tool, and I still do." He leaned forward. "Remember, Emperor Palpatine was killed by a Jedi, or at least someone who called himself one. The organisation is extinct, but lone individuals can still style themselves Jedi knights, and use lightsabers. As Lord Vader has taught me, the best defence against a lightsaber is another lightsaber. If I am to help Lord Vader in his mission to prevent the resurgence of the Jedi order, I need to be able to use the Jedi weapon. It's that simple."

"So, I'm sure you've heard of the challenge to the Empire from the Rebel Alliance today. What's your opinion on that?"

"You know, I'm not used to my political opinion being taken seriously, so please forgive me if I say something stupid. All I know is that I mourn the Emperor deeply. I know no-one could ever fill the role of leader of the galaxy to the same standard he did. Strange as it seems, perhaps the Rebels have a point. Perhaps there _should_ only ever be one Emperor. What he did for the galaxy can never be undone, but I don't think anyone else could have done what he did …"

* * *

Lord Starkiller shook Sasugi Lindstub's hand. "I hope I did all right. I'm not used to this kind of thing."

"You did brilliantly," she smiled. "Our viewers will love it."

She watched as he walked away. He was certainly a fascinating figure, and a charismatic one. Unlike Vader, whose armour made him fascinating, but also awe-inspiring, even terrifying, Starkiller seemed … more _human_, somehow. Perhaps it was his backstory, the tale of a simple worker plucked from obscurity by exceptional circumstances who was able to rise to the challenge and become a hero, or simply his own personality, which shone through even while wrapped in that shroud he wore. While Vader repelled people, Starkiller rather seemed to draw people to him, somehow. She had a feeling that wouldn't be the last interview she did with him, and was already looking forward to the next one.

* * *

Luke was still anxious until he had his father's approval for the interview. But Vader also seemed extremely pleased with his performance.

"It was an excellent first step," he told him. "If you continue like this, the people will be begging for you to take over as leader of the galaxy."

"Thank you."

"We will talk more later. Now I must visit the Ruling Council. I fear they may not be amenable to our plans without a small nudge in the right direction."

* * *

Vader meditated on the plan as he travelled to the Council chambers in the Senate building. It was proceeding well, so far. The boy had proved himself exceptionally capable, allaying all his fears of failure should Leia remain as stubborn as she had been so far. Indeed, he was now beginning to wonder if Leia might be completely dispensable, and Luke might in fact prove an even better galactic figurehead than she could. He did not have her experience or knowledge of government, but that could actually prove an advantage rather than a drawback. It was strange, then, that when he reached into the Force, it still seemed to favour Leia over Luke. Not overwhelmingly so, and when he focused on Luke at the head of the galaxy, there were no indications that it would be a disaster to choose the boy, just that the girl would be better. He shrugged it off as his speeder landed. There was plenty of time yet. He would follow the Force, continue to work on Leia, but he was satisfied that Luke would prove to be a more than adequate substitute.

Entering the Council chambers, he was gratified to see that the Imperial Advisors had left him the seat at the head of the table.

"Greetings, Lord Vader," the Grand Vizier Sate Pestage welcomed him. "Please, be seated."

Vader took his seat. "Thank you for making time to see me at such short notice. So, how goes the discussion of the challenge from our Rebel friends?"

Pestage laughed. "Oh, come, Lord Vader. You don't really think we would seriously discuss those ridiculous demands, do you?"

Vader inclined his head at the speaker. "Indeed I do. In fact, I think the most foolish course of action right now would be to ignore them."

There was consternation around the table. The advisors looked at each other, exclaimed in surprise. "You're not actually suggesting that we should consider the demands of Rebel terrorists?" one asked.

The Dark Lord leaned forward slightly. "What I am suggesting is that you forget for a moment that this challenge has come from the Rebels, and instead consider the wisdom of the idea in and of itself. The Emperor is dead, and his death severely weakens the Empire. It cannot continue as it was. The Rebels surely have finally convinced you of the folly of relying on superweapons, if nothing else. With a return to greater bureaucracy, it will be easier to maintain control. But what the galaxy needs more than anything else right now is a strong and popular figurehead, and allowing the people _to think_ they have chosen their leader will only make that leader more popular, and therefore more useful to us."

The advisors looked thoughtful, but unconvinced.

Vader continued. "The one thing I wish to impress upon you above all others is that if you give the people some illusion of control, they will be all the more willing to accept your rule."

"How can you be sure it remains an illusion? What if it gets out of hand? What if they elect … Mon Mothma, for example?"

Vader laughed humourlessly. "That will never happen. Mothma will not stand. And even if she wished to, it is ridiculously simple to prevent her, or anyone like her, doing so. We simply make it illegal for anyone who signed the petition of 2000 to stand."

The Council members saw the sense of that, nodding to each other.

"Believe me," Vader insisted, "I have seen the wisdom of this course of action. It is the only way to ensure that order remains in the galaxy. If we attempt to tighten our grip now, only chaos and anarchy will result. Think about it. There is plenty of time. No need to rush into a decision."

* * *

Han and Chewbacca made it to the Alliance rendezvous, simply because Han couldn't think where else to go.

It had taken a couple of days after the _Falcon_ had docked before General Madine was able to spare the time to call him in to discuss the plans to resign he had mentioned in their earlier meeting with Mon Mothma. During that time, he'd just stayed on his ship with his comlink turned off. Madine had had to send a lieutenant to bring him to the meeting personally, and once Han arrived, he wasted no time in getting down to business.

"I don't want to lose you, Solo," he told Han bluntly, as soon as he'd sat down. "It was against procedure for you to allow Skywalker and the Princess to take off on their own, but I recognise that we're dealing with Jedi here, and Jedi always have to be given some leeway. We lost two valuable members of the Alliance, but their actions in this case were their own responsibility, and in no way were you to blame for them."

"I feel like I am, General."

"And that's natural. They were ostensibly under your command, and so you feel responsible for their safety. That's part of what makes you a good General. It's still not a reason to discipline you, or a reason for you to resign."

"What if I just don't want to be here any more?"

Madine sighed. "Well, that _is_ a reason to resign. But I would beg you not to rush into that decision. You've just lost two people who I know you were very close to, but leaving won't bring them back."

"I'm not stupid, General."

"I know. But leaving also won't make losing them any easier. Believe me, I_ know_."

Han sighed. "I guess I know that too. But they were the reason I was here. If it hadn't been for Luke, I wouldn't have come back at Yavin, and if it hadn't been for Leia, I wouldn't have come back after Hoth."

"Perhaps. But there are still things you can do for the Alliance. There are still people depending on you here."

He shrugged. "We don't even know if there's going to be an Alliance much longer. And I'm _not_ interested in being a General in any new Republic."

Madine smiled. "All the more reason to stick around, see how it all pans out. If we do end up in government and I end up running a new Republic army, I'll see to it you get an honourable discharge and a generous pension." He raised an eyebrow. "What do you say, Solo?"

Han almost smiled. "Appealing to my better nature, huh? It's worked before. All right, General, I'll stick around for a while. No long term promises, though."

"I never asked for any."

* * *

Leia was beginning to get used to her prison, and her solitude. It had been days now since she had tried to kill the Dark Lord, and she had not seen Vader or Luke since. She was visited three times a day by a protocol droid, who brought her food on each of those visits. Apart from that, she had had no contact with anyone, and the droids would tell her nothing of what was happening in the outside world. After the first day, she had given up asking. Allowing them to know that she cared about what was happening outside would only be showing weakness.

The prisoner's rules were serving her well. She ate and slept when she needed to, and made sure to do some physical exercise every day. Apart from that, she had spent most of her time in meditation. There was nothing else to do, apart from wait for the next challenge, and be ready for it.

Still, however hard she had worked to be ready, she couldn't help giving an involuntary shudder when she felt Vader approaching. She remained seated on the couch as he entered the room, looking up at him blandly, without defiance or deference, simply waiting for him to declare his intention.

"Good afternoon, Leia," he said.

She nodded. "Lord Vader."

"I wish you would call me Father."

"Bail Organa was my father," she told him. "I feel no need to replace him in that role."

"As you wish." He sat down opposite her. "I am sure you know why I am here."

"I'd guess you've come to try and persuade me to join you in your plan to bring order to the galaxy … again."

"You are right. However, I should warn you that I am losing patience with this game, and do not intend to play it much longer."

Her expression did not change. "Good. Because neither do I."

"Then we do agree on something. There is no need for conflict between us. I know it saddens your brother that you set yourself apart like this."

"Luke has chosen his path, and I have chosen mine. He thinks he's doing the right thing. I disagree."

"And you are adamant in that opinion, are you?"

"Yes."

Vader paused for a moment, and she felt his touch in the Force as he probed her feelings. She remained passive, not reacting to the touch even though it made her skin crawl.

"Perhaps you would be less sure of yourself if you knew what was happening outside this room. Shall I enlighten you as to what you have missed? When my fleet returned to Endor, it found that the Alliance had already fled. The fleet bombarded the Sanctuary Moon from orbit. The forests were burned, and the indigenous population destroyed. So even without a Death Star, you see the Imperial fleet can be quite effective. _You_ could have prevented that."

Leia flinched. That the Empire was so destructive, so careless of life, didn't surprise her. She'd heard of, and seen, many such outrages. It was nothing new, and while it saddened her, it wasn't true when he said she could have prevented it, and she knew it. She sighed. "Luke may believe you when you say things like that, but I'm a little more cynical than him. You can and will do what you want to the galaxy, but you won't do it in my name."

"If not you, who will stop me? The Alliance? It will be destroyed soon enough."

"The more you destroy, the more people will turn against you. Destroy every member of the Alliance, a new Alliance will form. There will always be someone to fight you."

"So sure you are. One day, you will be the only being left in the galaxy to oppose us."

She merely nodded.

"It will be a lonely existence." He paused, allowed her to think of her isolation. "No family, no friends, no … lovers. I believe there is someone in the Alliance for whom you have particular feelings. A former smuggler, named Han Solo. Not the kind of partner I would have chosen for my daughter. I wonder what Bail would have thought of him."

"My father would have seen him for what he is, not some stereotype." She knew she had replied a little too quickly. She couldn't afford to let him rattle her; even more importantly, she couldn't allow him to _see_ that he had rattled her. But it was too late now. She took a deep breath, re-buried her feelings for Han. She would not allow him to use them against her.

"I suppose he was involved in the attack on the Death Star," Vader continued. "I wonder what was his fate."

Leia shook her head. "It doesn't matter. He's lost to me now, whether he's alive or dead."

"True." He lowered his voice, leaned forward. "But perhaps he was captured. Perhaps he is being held in a cell right now. Perhaps he is being interrogated as we speak."

Leia felt a stab of anxiety. She had gone through Imperial interrogation, at the hands of this very man. It had been one of the worst experiences of her life, and she couldn't help flashing back to it, imagining it, or worse, happening to Han. She willed herself not to think of it, but it wouldn't go away. Images of him in pain, suffering, pressed on her consciousness.

Seeing her reaction, Vader pressed his advantage. He slowly described, in painstaking detail, the latest popular Imperial torture methods, encouraging her to visualise them happening to Han. She fought against it, but he was too strong for her. She found her heart was suddenly pounding in her ears, her vision blurred with tears.

She was lost, until she felt Vader's reaction to her distress, a sinister stab of pleasure in the Force. And then she remembered it was just a game. It wasn't real. Anything could be happening to Han right now, anything at all, and that was the key. Instead of trying not to think of him, she deliberately thought of him, thought of him with all her heart, filled herself with his presence. Imagined him laughing, playing Sabacc with the Rogues, arguing with Chewie in the _Falcon_, relaxing with a mug of ale at the end of a long day. All those images were just as real as the images Vader had given her of him in pain. More real, in fact, as she had seen them with her own eyes. She gathered them around her, used them as a shield against the horror.

"Impressive," Vader conceded eventually. "You are indeed strong." He made a dismissive gesture. "We do not have him, by the way. We could find him, though, if he _is_ still alive. Think about it."

She didn't need to. How many years had the Alliance existed, without being _found_ by the Empire? How many years had Han survived as a smuggler, without being_ found_ by the authorities? It was an empty threat. It had been empty when Luke made it, and it was still empty now.

"You want him, though," Vader continued. "Join us, and you could find him yourself."

She sighed. "If I joined you, I wouldn't want to find him any more. And he wouldn't want to be found by me."

Vader made a noise that sounded very much like a growl. "This is becoming tedious. Your last chance. The Force favours _you_ to lead the galaxy. Search your feelings."

"I have, and I saw nothing like that. All the Force tells me is that I shouldn't - I _can't_ - join you."

"You still have much to learn about the nature of the Force," he insisted. "Luke trained you as well as he could, but his inexperience was his weakness. So much of the knowledge of the Jedi has been lost, but not to me. I am sharing that knowledge with Luke, and I can share it with you too, if you wish."

"Dark side knowledge," she dismissed it. "_Sith_ knowledge. I have no use for that."

Vader shrugged. "Very well. So you are decided. You will not join us."

"Never," she confirmed.

He nodded. "Even if it were the only way to save your brother from the dark side?"

"My brother is already lost. Everyone and everything that I held dear is lost to me. Joining you will not bring them back."

"You are foolish. It is the _only_ way to bring them back. If you continue to stand alone, you will remain alone. For _ever_."

She was unable to suppress a shudder. She _was_ afraid, and Vader saw it. "Alone," he repeated. "Forever alone. Such a waste …"

A tear ran down her cheek, and a deep, dark sadness descended on her like fog. "No," she murmured.

"Join us, Leia," Vader insisted. "You do not have to be alone. Do not sacrifice your own happiness for some misguided principle."

Even through the fog, that struck her as a strange thing to say. All her life, pretty much, she felt she'd been sacrificing her own happiness for her principles. It was, after all, only very recently that she'd begun to think she could be happy as well as living up to those ideals. And her happiness was already lost. Deep down, she had always had a feeling it was too good to last.

She looked up at him, her eyes full of pain, but determined. "I will not join you."

"Then so be it." He lifted a hand, and Leia found herself gasping for breath. Vader tilted his head slightly, as if inviting her to beg, to plead for her life. But she found herself strangely calm. She wasn't afraid of this. She'd faced death before, and reconciled herself to it. If he wanted to kill his own daughter, let him. She would be at peace, and he would have to live with the consequences.

Vader increased the pressure on her windpipe, and she finally, instinctively, began to struggle, her hands clutching at her throat, her eyes beginning to close.

And then he stopped. He let her go. She convulsed, gasping. "Why don't you kill me?" she croaked. "I have nothing to live for. Finish it."

He shook his head. "Your brother would want you alive," he said.

Without another word, he rose and left the room. And Leia was alone again.


	4. Starkiller Rising: Part 3

**THREE**

Lord Starkiller sat in his top-class stateroom on the cruise ship _Nebula Princess_, staring at the viewport. Currently set to transparent, it displayed an unremarkable view of the stars outside. It could also be set to show any amount of information about the ship and its ports of call, as well as display entertainment programs, holovids, and access the Holonet. Starkiller was interested in none of them. Nor did he have any interest in the tourist traps the ship visited, or his fellow passengers. He had no interest in this trip at all. He was ostensibly here to convalesce from his ordeal on the "construction site" over Endor, but Vader had told him something would happen on this trip that would offer him an opportunity to significantly boost his chances of becoming the leader of the galaxy. That was the only reason he was here: because Lord Vader had insisted he be here.

He was regretting giving in to his father's insistence now. For the first few days, he had been constantly on edge, fearing that every word he spoke, every gesture he made, could be the significant one, and that at any moment he could say or do the wrong thing, and ruin the whole plan. But that feeling couldn't be sustained in the long term, and once it had subsided, he had had to settle for waiting … and getting very bored. To begin with, the novelty of travelling as a VIP had been interesting, but it had quickly palled, and it was all beginning to try his patience.

The comm desk pinged, and a corresponding box lit up in the corner of the viewport. Lord Starkiller had a message from Lady Zimelann. He opened it, sighing. Another invitation to dinner. Lady Zimelann was very taken with Lord Starkiller, and every day for the past four days she had invited him to join her and her friends for dinner. He did not feel able to turn her down, much as he would like to. He knew, as Vader had made sure to impress upon him, that one of the principal purposes of this trip was to … ingratiate himself with people, for want of a better word. Let them think they knew him, make them like him, give them some sense of investment in his future. In short, make them want him to rule them. But it was hard. Not making people like him, they seemed to want to do that anyway, but maintaining and nurturing their interest when all he wanted to do was scream _Go away! Stop talking about trivia!_ Lady Zimelann would no doubt want to tell him all about her latest sightseeing trip and the souvenirs she had purchased. He could only be grateful that his dining companions were unable to see his face.

* * *

Wedge Antilles had spent a long, boring shift flying the perimeter of the Alliance fleet, and felt he well deserved the large mug of Corellian ale he was right now focusing his intentions on. He was so focused in fact he didn't notice the familiar face at the table in the corner until he had passed him. He turned back, looking again to make sure.

"Han!" he exclaimed. "I haven't seen you in an age. Where've you been?"

The older man raised his head slowly, and Wedge almost gasped at the change in his friend. Han looked … haggard, there was no other word for it. As if he'd been through hell - no, as if he was still there.

Wedge chose not to comment, asking instead, "Can I get you a drink? Corellian ale?"

Han nodded. "Sure." He returned his gaze to the table top.

Wedge crossed to the bar. "Two Corellian ales, large," he ordered.

"Yes, sir," the server droid replied. "May I ask, is one of them for General Solo?" Wedge indicated that it was. "Then may I respectfully request that you do not buy him any more after this one? He has been here several hours, and has become quite intoxicated. I do not wish to refuse service to a general, but …"

Wedge nodded. "That's okay. Han may get steamed sometimes, but he never goes too far. I don't think he'll cause any trouble."

"Of course not, sir. I am merely concerned for his wellbeing."

"You and me both," Wedge replied quietly.

Han looked up when Wedge returned with the drinks, but gave his friend no more than the ghost of a smile.

"What's going on, Han?" he asked. "And where's the Wook?"

Han waved a hand dismissively. "Nothin' much," he said. "And Chewie took off a couple hours ago. Said I was boring."

Wedge leaned forward. "What's wrong? Why haven't I seen you in so long?"

"I'm just not in a very sociable mood right now. I'm only here now 'cause we ran out of grog on the _Falcon_."

"I don't get it."

"You don't? I thought Luke was supposed to be your friend?"

"He was … and Leia too … oh, wait. Stang, I'm sorry. You and the princess were …"

"Yeah," Han growled. "We were."

"Stang. I'm sorry, Han. I mean, I know … it hurts losing them, but … well, shutting yourself away and drinking yourself into a stupor won't help."

"Oh, you think?" His voice was heavy with bitterness, and Wedge flinched.

"Man, I'm dumb. If I'd thought about it, I'd have come see you on the _Falcon_, but, you know, I've been busy, and … that's no excuse either, I know."

Han shook his head wearily. "Doesn't matter. It's not like there's anything anyone can do to make me feel better. I killed 'em, and that's that."

"You … what? How do you figure that?"

"Don't play dumb, Wedge. Even if ya are. I let 'em go to the Death Star, and then I took down its shield. I killed 'em."

Wedge rolled his eyes. "Oh kriff damn it, Han. You didn't kill them. You completed your mission, which was what you had to do. What _they_ would have wanted you to do, apart from anything else." He took a long drink. "And besides that, before you start throwing blame around, you might want to look at who fired the shot that blew up the kriffing Death Star."

Han blinked, swallowed hard, then slowly turned his head until he was looking into Wedge's eyes. "That was you," he said quietly. "How do you live with it?"

"I did what I had to do," Wedge told him. "Like I always do. In my job, I kill people all the time. That sounds harsh, but it's true. And it's what you have to do when you sign on to fight a war. But when you lose a friend, it's still hard. Especially when your actions had something to do with it." He paused, took another drink. "I didn't know they were on the thing when I fired that shot. If I _had_ known … Stang. I'm glad I didn't. Because I know they'd have wanted us to do exactly what we did.

"Han, listen to me. Please. I know it's hard, but I know Luke and Leia wouldn't want you to torture yourself like this. You have to get past this. What's done is done, you can't change it. You have to play the cards you've been dealt, buddy."

"I don't even wanna be alive, Wedge. I'd kill myself, on'y I know Chewie'd stop me."

Wedge sighed. "Well, General Madine's bound to be looking for people to pull off some crazy suicide mission plan eventually. Should be easy enough for you to get in on it. That is, if you can stay sober long enough to volunteer."

Han laughed darkly. "That's one way of gettin' round the Wookiee life debt, I guess."

Someone called Wedge's name, and he looked around. It was some of Rogue squadron, waving a deck of cards at him, inviting him to join in a Sabacc game. He looked back at Han with a small, sad smile. "You want to come play a hand? In that state, you should be easy to beat, for a change."

Han almost smiled. "Nah. I'm just gonna go back to the _Falcon_ and crash." He shook the other man's hand. "It was good to see ya, Wedge."

Wedge nodded. "Don't leave it so long next time, huh?"

Han grumbled something inarticulate before downing the last of his ale. "Maybe," he said.

* * *

The _Nebula Princess_ was preparing to depart from its latest port of call, as thousands of tourists returned to their rooms, laden with souvenirs, or crowded into the restaurants and bars as the evening got into full swing.

Lord Starkiller leaned on the barrier of one of the walkways that encircled the ship's central area, the Well, as it was called. This was a vast atrium which ran from the top to the bottom of the residential area of the ship, with scattered platforms dotted here and there throughout its height, containing various bars, casinos, theatres and other entertainment venues. The walkways were excellent vantage points to see from. They were also excellent places to _be_ seen. That was why the Well's walkways during the day and evening were always busy with passengers strolling around, watching each other, hoping to attract each other's attention. Most people on the ship enjoyed all this. Starkiller didn't. He watched the people moving about, looking like so many insects, and felt nothing but disdain and boredom. He sighed, and headed back to his stateroom. He wasn't going to argue with Lord Vader, after all the Dark Lord was far more experienced in the use of the Force than he was, and when he said that taking a pleasure cruise was the best way to raise Starkiller's profile among the galaxy as a whole, Starkiller had to believe him. But he was becoming very impatient.

Back in the sanctuary of his room, he drew the bed curtains, and only then removed his mask. While there was no-one to see that he was completely healthy underneath it, he found it easier to stay in the role of Starkiller if he acted like Starkiller all the time. And Starkiller, he knew, would be extremely wary of allowing anyone to see his true form.

As he drifted toward sleep, he found his thoughts vectoring back toward Coruscant, specifically toward Leia. His last message from Vader had indicated that she remained intractable as ever. In fact, Vader had literally used the word "unbreakable". He wasn't really surprised, but he was disappointed. If she wasn't so stubborn, he wouldn't have to be doing what he was doing right now. He just wanted the thing that was meant to happen, whatever it was, to _happen_, so he could deal with it and then get on with his life.

He was soon to get his wish.

His sleep was broken by the ship's broadcast system crackling to life. "_All passengers, we are under attack by pirates. You are advised to stay in your rooms. Please - stay in your rooms. The security forces will handle the threat. Repeat - all passengers, stay in your rooms."_

_At last_, he thought. _This is it_. Grabbing his mask from the bedside table, he dressed hurriedly. _So now all I have to do is take out a pirate gang of indeterminate size, armed with who knows what weapons, save the_ Nebula Princess_, and everyone will love me. Simple. _ He rolled his eyes. _Thanks, Dad._

He reached into the Force, searching for threatening presences. The pirates were spread all over the ship, but one of them seemed to be fairly close by. He would start there.

He used the Force to trip the lock and open the door silently, then carefully leaned out into the corridor. It was all clear, and he stepped out. Slowly, he moved up the corridor to the end, where it led onto the walkway. From what he could see, though, all the walkways were completely quiet, which was unusual. Even in the early hours of the ship's morning, there were normally still a few people out and about. Those late revellers would have been the unlucky ones tonight, killed as the pirate attack began. Uselessly, pointlessly murdered, simply for getting in the way of someone else's material gain. Starkiller felt his anger building and fed it to the Force, using it to reinforce his connection and awareness.

He focused on the nearest pirate. Off to his left … there. He saw him. One walkway down, standing looking out at the Well. He reached out further, searching for more of the gang. They were spread around. Several were grouped together, in the Well somewhere below him, probably in one of the casinos. There were other small groupings, also, elsewhere in the ship, and a few more lookouts, on the walkways.

Moving back into the corridor so he wouldn't be seen, he reached out in the Force again, searching for the _Nebula Princess_'s security force. He found them, but not spread around, searching for pirates as he'd expected them to be. Instead, they were all in one place, slightly nervous, but not actually doing anything. The automated announcement telling passengers to stay in their rooms was still repeating at regular intervals, but it seemed the ship's authorities had no intention of actually tackling the pirates. Were they in on it? For a moment, he was outraged, but then he realised there was probably a far simpler explanation: it was company policy. They would allow the robbery to take place, relying on the passengers to be scared enough to follow instructions and remain in their rooms, and then simply claim for the losses on insurance later.

So it was left to him, then. But how was he going to do this? He couldn't take each group out individually, it would give the others too much time to realise what was happening and then each group he tackled after the first would be ready for him. He needed a proper plan. He allowed his thoughts to wander for a moment, clearing his mind as Yoda had taught him. _Pirates … on a cruise ship. How did they get here? … Wait - of course. They have a ship. And all I have to do is take out their ship, and then they can't escape. _He ran it over in his mind, using the Force to search the future, examine the possible outcomes. The plan was good.

_Okay then. Here we go._ He walked back down the corridor, to the service elevator at the far end, and rode it one floor down. He used the Force to muffle the noise of the door opening, so the pirate on the walkway would not hear it. There he was, right where Starkiller had expected him to be, looking out into the Well.

He reached out in the Force and yanked the pirate back into the corridor, ripping his blaster rifle out of his hands as he did so. The man stopped moving a few steps away from him, held motionless by the Force, his eyes wide with fear and shock.

"Hello," he said. "My name is Starkiller, and I'm here to stop you. How many of you are there?"

"What? Who the kriff -?"

"Lord Starkiller. I'll ask again. How many of you are there?"

The man shook his head. Starkiller gestured, and he began to gasp for breath, his eyes widening still further as he tried to clutch at his throat and realised he couldn't move his arms. Starkiller released the pressure. "How many?" he demanded.

"Sixteen," the pirate gasped.

"And how do you intend to escape?" He added a nudge through the Force on the man's mind, as well as a little squeeze on his windpipe, just to emphasise the wisdom of answering his question.

"Same way we got in. Auxiliary airlock on deck C12. Our ship is docked there."

"How many crew left on the ship?"

"Three … please …"

"What? You want me to let you go? Why would I do that? You've attacked a ship full of innocent tourists, killed people in cold blood, all for simple material gain, and you expect me to show you mercy?"

"Innocent? None of them are innocent! How d'you think they all got so rich?"

They turned out to be the pirate's last words, as Starkiller choked him and allowed him to fall to the deck, dead. He took the pirate's comlink, and then headed up the corridor, away from the Well, back to the service elevator.

Deck C12 was quiet. There were a couple of deactivated droids, but no living beings around. Luke found his way to the auxiliary lock simply by searching for the presence of the three pirate crew in the Force. One was on watch in the docking tube, and the others were in the ship's cockpit. It wasn't even a challenge. The pirate in the tube opened fire as soon as he saw the dark figure appear in the corridor, but Starkiller was moving so fast he had no chance of hitting him until he was so close that Starkiller's lightsaber could not only block his shots, but remove his arms in the same instant. He had merely a moment to register the loss of his limbs before Starkiller also took off his head.

He felt the pirates in the cockpit hear the noise of the brief skirmish and become alert. One would come to investigate, the other would contact their leader to let him know they might be under attack. But that was why he had sealed off access to Deck C12 as soon as he had arrived there. The rest of the gang would not be able to return to their ship.

Entering the ship, he found an alcove to hide in, and waited for Number One to pass him on his way to investigate the noise in the docking tube. He cut him down before the man was even aware of him. Number Two, in the cockpit, was so busy panicking over the comm to his leader that he also never knew what hit him.

This was turning out to be easy. Starkiller programmed the ship to detach itself from the _Nebula Princess_ and begin its self-destruct cycle once it was a safe distance away. He then returned to the cruise ship and used a comm station to call the security office. "This is Lord Starkiller. The pirates have been neutralised. Their ship has been destroyed. You are now free to take the remaining members of the gang into custody. I would advise you to hurry."

A nervous voice came back. "Lord Starkiller? Aren't you a passenger?"

"I was," he replied. "Now you can call me the man who saved your ship."

* * *

Things changed after that. Whenever he entered one of the restaurants or bars, whenever he was on the walkways, in fact whenever he left his room, Starkiller was aware of a massive surge of interest among the other passengers. Lady Zimelann had become even more fawning, and was constantly at the centre of an attentive group of passengers, regaling them with tales of her prior friendship with him. He overheard snippets of conversation all the time:

"That's him. He took out the whole pirate gang."

"By _himself_."

"Do you think he really _is _ a Jedi?"

"He must have some kind of superpowers to do that."

Mostly, he disdained the attention, but part of him was also beginning to enjoy it. Which, according to Vader, was a good thing. They'd talked that morning, when Vader congratulated him on his achievement. The news of the pirate attack had already reached the Holonet, and Vader told him it had captured the imagination of the media, and the people.

"This is an excellent start," he had said. "I think you should disembark at the next port of call and return to Coruscant. The people will be keen to know more, the media will be keen to interview you, and we must capitalise on that."

He had agreed, feeling a little tingle of excitement at how well the plan was going. While there was gossip about him being a Jedi, there was no evidence that he had defeated the pirates by anything other than conventional means, as the men on the ship had been destroyed with it, and the one on the walkway had died of asphyxiation, which was not unusual during interrogation. The remainder had never seen him, and the leader, who'd been speaking to Number Two when Luke killed him, couldn't have heard anything other than some confused noises. So he was in the clear, and a hero. Things couldn't be going better, on the whole.

* * *

_Welcome to Holonet News. I'm Sasugi Lindstub, and I'm joined by Lord Starkiller. Welcome, my lord, and thank you for speaking to us. Everyone must have heard by now of your actions on board the _Nebula Princess. _I know you can't tell us any of the details of exactly how you foiled the pirate attack, as the case will be going to trial soon, but is there anything you _can_ tell us, from your perspective? How did you come to be on the ship?_

"_Certainly, Sasugi. I was on the ship for the same reason as anyone else: a vacation. I'm still recovering from my injuries above Endor, and it was meant to be a chance to rest and recuperate, but it didn't quite work out like that!"_

_Indeed it didn't. What made you decide to take on the pirates as you did?_

"_It was … well, instinct, shall we call it? I don't really know. I didn't even really think about it, I just knew that it would be wrong to allow those evil beings to steal and murder at will without trying to do something to stop them."_

_You have a strong sense of justice._

"_I guess I do."_

_But you could have been killed. Didn't you think of your own safety?_

"_I guess … after Endor … I'm pretty lucky to still be alive, so I kind of feel like I have to use this extra life I've been given to … some purpose. Make it mean something, if that makes sense."_

_It certainly does, my lord. Congratulations for bringing these evildoers to justice, and thank you for speaking to us._

_

* * *

_

Han turned away from the screen in disgust. _Justice, my ass_. Since when had justice meant anything to the Empire? The Holonet presenter continued to twitter on, praising Starkiller, his bravery, his admirable resilience in getting over his terrible ordeal on the _construction site over Endor_, as they continued to call it, his amazing lack of vindictiveness toward the Rebels who had almost killed him, Lord Vader's generosity in looking after him and taking him onto his staff, the amazing way in which Starkiller had been snatched from obscurity and proved himself as a true hero.

_Snatched from obscurity to become a hero … _That sounded familiar, somehow. Wait. Something clicked in Han's head. _Oh, no, _he thought. _No, no, no, that's not possible._ He jumped to his feet, suddenly feeling more sober than he'd felt in weeks.

He activated the nearest terminal, and searched the news archives for Starkiller, specifically high-resolution images. Within moments, he'd found what he was looking for. There it was, in plain view, riding proudly on the guy's belt: the lightsaber. _Luke kriffing Skywalker's kriffing lightsaber. _Suddenly, his head was spinning. He felt sick. His hands shook as he pulled out his comlink. "Chewie," his voice was urgent. "Come meet me in the bar on Deck 10. I need to show you something."

Chewie whined. He was in the middle of something, couldn't it wait? He could hear Han was drunk, again, and didn't want to listen to any more depressed ramblings.

"_Now, _furball," Han demanded. "This is serious, I swear."

By the time Chewie arrived in the bar, Han had polished off a mug of caf and was sobering up rapidly. He was also absolutely convinced of his theory. That Starkiller guy was Luke. Luke kriffing Skywalker had joined the kriffing Empire.

"Look at it, Chewie," he insisted. "That's Luke's lightsaber. I've had the thing in my hands. I _know_ it."

Chewie wasn't convinced. Sure, it looked like Luke's lightsaber, but a lot of lightsabers looked alike. Vader's own was quite similar. And even if it _was_ Luke's, that didn't mean Luke was Starkiller. Gently, he tried to suggest that Vader could have taken Luke's saber after defeating him on the Death Star, and given it to Starkiller, as Starkiller had said in one of the clips Han had just shown him, to help his rehabilitation. Han wasn't buying it.

"That's Luke, pal," he maintained. "I'm sure of it. And Vader's got him. We have to _do_ something."

Chewie looked at Han with pity. He told him he was sorry, but he just didn't believe Starkiller could really be Luke Skywalker. Han's expression hardened. "I'll prove it to you," he said. "That freak in a mask is Luke Skywalker, and I'm damn well gonna prove it."

Chewie shook his head. And then what? he demanded. Even if that _was_ Luke, he was working for the Empire now, of his own free will, apparently. What exactly did Han think he could do about that?

"I don't know!" Han exclaimed. "But _something!_ I have to do _something!_"

* * *

Over the next few days, Han's theory that Lord Starkiller was Luke Skywalker spread all over _Home One,_ and on to the rest of the fleet, becoming a hotly-debated subject in the bars and mess halls. Han spent almost every waking hour poring over the news reports, images, and every reference to Starkiller in every database he could get his hands on. He had even tracked down C-3PO and R2-D2 and enlisted their help in backing up his theory.

Unfortunately, he could find no concrete evidence either way. Voice analysis found some similarities between Luke's style of speech and that of Starkiller, but couldn't remove the processing added by the mask to find out what he really sounded like. Luke and Starkiller appeared to be approximately the same height and weight, but the suit he wore defeated any efforts to make closer comparisons. As he'd expected, there was no reference to a Lord Starkiller anywhere until Vader had introduced him as that to the media on Coruscant a few days after the Death Star attack. But there was plenty since, and more was arriving by the day. The media had really fallen for this guy, which only added to his convictions: if there was one thing Luke Skywalker had always been, it was likeable.

Starkiller's new career as Darth Vader's second in command was in full swing, now. He had an entourage of stormtroopers who followed him everywhere, and after his exploits on the _Nebula Princess_, people were listening to him. He had revamped the security protocols of every government building on Coruscant. The trial of the pirate gang had been fast-tracked, and it just seemed to Han that the Empire was doing everything it could to keep Starkiller's profile as high as it could possibly be.

But there was no information, anywhere, on who he had been before Endor. There was no way of getting hold of the employee records of the workers on the Death Star, even for Artoo: that data was held securely on Coruscant, and could not be accessed remotely, even if Artoo could have sliced the security protocols. And even then, finding a match for Starkiller from among all those thousands of people with the sketchy information they had to go on was a ridiculously long shot. If he had found a name, an image, anything concrete about Starkiller's former life, Han would have been convinced, he would have given up his search and accepted he was wrong, but there just wasn't anything to find. Starkiller was no-one. He came out of nowhere. Just as Vader had, in the early days of the Empire.

Eventually, Han had to admit that he wasn't going to be able to prove his theory. Short of Starkiller standing up during one of Sasugi Lindstub's increasingly fawning interviews and ripping off his mask to reveal Luke's face, his investigation had gone as far as it could go. But one thing he really _was_ sure of: Vader had big plans for Starkiller, and that made him dangerous. Really dangerous. And Han was determined to do something about that.

He made an appointment with General Madine. Madine had already guessed what he wanted to talk about, and as usual didn't waste any time in getting straight to the point.

"There's just no evidence, Solo," he said.

"I know," Han replied. "But whether that's Luke in that suit or not, I know Vader has plans for him, and I know they're not good news for the Alliance. I think we should check him out some more. If I go to Coruscant, with the droids, I can get more information than I can get here, and I can get closer to him, maybe follow him around a bit …"

"I don't know. It'd be dangerous. Our sources on Coruscant haven't been able to find anything out."

"I know. I've been through all the records. But maybe with the droids to help, I can get further."

Madine looked sceptical. "You know we have intelligence operatives who do this kind of thing all the time, right?"

Han rolled his eyes. "Of course I do. But I've been researching this for the last couple of weeks, and so have the droids. We're ready now, your spies aren't." He gave Madine a hard look. "You know I'm going to do it whether you approve it or not, don't you?"

Madine sighed. "Of course. What do you need?"

"Just for you to make sure nothing can be traced back here if I get myself in trouble. Don't worry. I have a plan, and the less you know about it, the better."

Madine sighed as Han left the office. Maybe it was a bad plan, but he didn't see how he could prevent him from going through with it. Han's guilt over the deaths of Skywalker and the Princess was still driving him, and he had to exorcise it somehow. This was, at least, a constructive way of doing it, and who knew, maybe he would uncover something the Alliance could use.

He called up the records from the battle of Endor, and added General Han Solo to the deceased list, backdating the alteration to the date of the battle, hoping the move wasn't prescient.

* * *

_Welcome to Holonet News. I'm Sasugi Lindstub. The galaxy is still shaking from a historic announcement from the Ruling Council today. The Council has finally answered the challenge from the Rebel Alliance, and the answer is yes!: the Senate is to be recalled, at least partially. The statement came from Grand Vizier Sate Pestage earlier today:_

"_The Ruling Council has debated long and hard about the issues raised by the death of Emperor Palpatine. As Grand Vizier, it was suggested that I should succeed the Emperor, and take his place as head of the galaxy. But I do not have his talents, or his drive. I do not consider myself a suitable candidate for the position. _

"_We have therefore decided to partially recall the Imperial Senate, and allow it to elect a new leader, who will spearhead the galaxy's progress into the future as it faces new challenges and new opportunities. This leader will not be an Emperor. Emperor Palpatine is irreplaceable. Instead, the leader will be known as the Prime Councillor. He or she will be advised by the Ruling Council, the Moffs, and the Senate, as the Emperor was. All other branches of the government will be unchanged. _

"_This decision should by no means be seen as a capitulation to the demands of the terrorist organisation known as the Alliance to Restore the Republic, or the Rebel Alliance. There should be no illusions that this decision represents in any way a softening toward the enemies of the Empire, or a willingness to listen to their protests. _

"_Selected former Senators will be invited to retake their seats in due course. Systems where the former Senator is unable or unwilling to retake their seat will be able to appoint a new representative. When the Senate reconvenes, one of its first acts will be to elect the new Prime Councillor. This ruler will not be drawn from the ranks of the Senate, the Ruling Council or the Moffs; instead we hope to appoint someone from outside the government, who can look at the galaxy with completely fresh eyes. Thank you."_

_This is stunning news, I'm sure you'll agree. Access your local channels to find out who will be representing you in the Senate, or how your new representative will be chosen. There is no news yet on nominees for the position of Prime Councillor, or even the procedure by which they will be nominated …_

_

* * *

_

Leia watched the broadcast with growing horror. When the Holonet terminal had suddenly switched itself on, she had jumped as if she had been stung, as she'd been so used to the silence of her lonely prison.

But she'd quickly realised why she'd been allowed to see it. This was her final warning, her last chance to give in to their demands. If she was to agree, she would be just in time to be put forward to become "Prime Councillor", and if she continued to refuse, the game would finally be over.

She was glad of it. She wanted an end to the struggle, and she didn't care what the consequences were any more. She would be glad to die, as long as they accepted she would have nothing to do with their plans.

The Holonet switched off, as the door opened. An unfamiliar figure entered, masked and dressed all in black.

"Hello, Leia," he said.

She frowned. It took her a second to recognise him. "Luke? What _are_ you meant to be?"

"I am Lord Starkiller," he told her. "I am to be the Prime Councillor of the galaxy."

She choked on an incredulous laugh. "Seriously, Luke, this is going too far. How can you possibly think this is a good plan?"

He sat down. "As you may recall, this wasn't meant to be the plan. But because of you, we've had to come up with another idea. Call me Plan B, if you like."

She shook her head in despair. "Emperor Luke Skywalker," she said slowly. "Palpatine would be proud. Luke, honestly, have you taken even a second to really think about this? I can feel the dark side all around you. How can you not?"

"Because it isn't there. You feel what you want to feel. You're so attached to your old life that you see any change as dark. But what was so great about your old life, really? Being on the run, hiding, knowing every mission could be your last? Sometimes I think it was just being in the Rebellion that made you happy. Being at the centre of it all, everyone following you, praising - no, _worshipping_ you for the sacrifices you made for the galaxy. But really it was other people making the real sacrifices."

She just stared at him. Where had that come from? She was so stunned she couldn't think of a way to even begin to counter his argument.

"You were a figurehead for the Alliance," he continued. "Everyone looked up to you, and you had to live up to that. You had to be what they expected you to be. But you don't have to do that any more. Just let go, Leia," he insisted. "Forget trying to do the right thing for everyone else. Forget being the Princess of Ruined Alderaan, the symbol of righteousness … just be Leia. Be my sister." He held out his hand to her.

She shook her head. He was twisting her, twisting everything she had done to make it seem wrong, and it hurt. But not just because it was a lie; because there was truth in it. She _had_ sacrificed people, she'd sacrificed her home planet, Alliance troops, friends, countless people, and … she had felt good. She'd taken comfort in the feeling that she was _doing the right thing_. And the people she'd gathered around her … they had been the people who would agree with her decisions, support her in what she did, even encourage her.

"I want to support you, Leia," he whispered. "I want to help you. I don't want to be against you. I thought you were doing the right thing too, but I was wrong. All you have to do is admit you were wrong. All that violence, all that conflict … it was unnecessary. Let it go."

She shivered. She couldn't think. Thousands of unformed thoughts were swirling in her head, like a whirlpool, and she was being sucked down by it, into the darkness. Nothing made sense any more. Nothing she'd done, nothing she'd said, nothing she'd wanted. She was out of control, spinning toward madness, drowning, and the only solid thing she could grab onto was Luke's hand. Except … it wasn't Luke's. It was the hand of … what did he say he was called now? _Starkiller_.

An appropriate name, she thought suddenly - Starkiller. He had killed a Star, once. He'd done it to save her. She'd rewarded him for it. That was when they were on the same side, fighting for the same goals. So many things they'd been through together, so many times they'd stood shoulder to shoulder and fought … for what was _right_.

She surfaced, gasping, trembling. "You're wrong," she whispered. "Wrong." She felt his anger building. "Don't listen to it, Luke," she begged him. "Don't listen to _him._ You killed the Emperor, but you didn't do it to _become _ him."

"I did it to save you," he said.

"And that was your first mistake."

"So, what, should I kill you now? Take back the life I saved? Will that make me right?"

"No. What's done can't be undone. But you _can_ go back. You chose the wrong path. Turn back. Come back to me, Luke."

She felt his uncertainty, for a brief second. She stared at the black mask, reaching through it with the Force, putting aside the Starkiller, reaching only for Luke, for her brother, her friend. For an instant, a tiny atom of a moment, she felt him. He was still in there. But then a cold, dark barrier came between them, slamming down like a blast door as Darth Vader stormed into the room. He gestured, and she was flung from the couch to the floor.

"I warned you," he growled at Luke. "Your attachment to her is your weakness. Get out."

"Father, I -"

"Get out!" Vader insisted, and he left.

Vader turned to Leia, furious. "Very good," he snapped at her. "You almost had him. But it will not work again. And he will now finally accept that you cannot be turned. Tomorrow, you will be moved to a new location. It will be more comfortable, but no less secure. You will spend the rest of your life there." He turned to leave.

"Leaving me alive is a mistake," she called after him. "One day, you'll realise that."

He paused for just a moment, looked back at her. "Perhaps," he said.

* * *

The next day Leia was put in a closed airspeeder and taken away from the Palace. The journey took several hours, and at the end of it, she stepped out into a pleasant garden attached to a large house. She blinked in the sunlight, unaccustomed to its brightness after so long in an enclosed room. The garden was surrounded by high walls, and the house stood at the top of a skyscraper, meaning it was not overlooked by any nearby buildings. This was rare for Coruscant, where so many people were crowded so close together that it was usually impossible to feel any sense of isolation. She could see airspeeders in the distance, and the tops of a few other buildings far away, but this house had clearly been created with the aim of ensuring privacy and solitude for its residents.

A protocol droid approached her along the path from the main door. "Princess Leia," he greeted her. "Welcome to Lord Vader's mansion retreat. I hope you will be very comfortable here."

"Thank you," she replied, "though I doubt my comfort is of primary importance to Lord Vader."

"Nevertheless," the droid said, "it is part of my primary programming to ensure that any guests here are comfortable and well-catered for, so I will endeavour to ensure your stay here is a pleasant one."

She nodded, and allowed the droid to lead her inside. After being confined to one room for so long, the house seemed huge, even to one who had grown up in a royal palace. Her bedroom alone was larger than her former prison had been, and when she opened the closet and saw a selection of clothes in a variety of different colours and styles, she almost thought she might cry. She nearly did cry when the droid handed her a datapad.

"As Lord Vader's orders state you must have no access to the Holonet or any communication functions, those have been disabled," he told her. "However, this datapad is pre-loaded with an extensive library of books, entertainment programs and games, which should help avoid stagnation of the mind." She stared at the datapad, holding it in her hands like a precious treasure. She hadn't realised how desperate she had been for mental stimulation until now.

"Thank you," she said, really meaning it this time.

The droid nodded. "I will leave you now," he said. "Dinner will be served at 20:00 hours; feel free to fill the time until then however you wish."

As he left, she moved to the window. She felt overwhelmed, almost scared to have so much to look at, so much space to move around in, so many things to do. She suddenly found herself feeling giddy, and had to grab the windowsill as she staggered. Forcing herself to breathe slowly and deeply, she moved to the bed to lie down. It occurred to her that it was the first time she'd lain on a real bed since … since before they left for Endor. Since the last night she'd spent with Han …

_Oh, no,_ she thought. _Don't think about that now_. It was too soon, even though it felt like it was a lifetime ago. Han was gone, lost to her. She would most likely never see him again, even if he was still alive. And at the moment, thinking of him only stirred up resentment that he was lost, that she was alone. She blinked hard, stopping the tears before they could fall. Not yet, she thought. Maybe one day she would be able to think of him, even take some comfort from remembering what they had shared. But that day was not today.

Shaking her head, as if to throw off the unwelcome thoughts, she turned instead to the datapad the droid had given her. She opened a text programme, selected _New journal entry_, noting the date with interest.

_As of today I have been a prisoner for 53 days …_


	5. The Force of Others: Part 1

**EPISODE II:**

**THE FORCE OF OTHERS**

_[Note: in some early drafts of _Star Wars, _the Force was known as the Force of Others]_

**ONE**

Han Solo cut to the sublight engines and saw hyperspace resolve into the looming orange ball that was Bespin. "Here goes nothing," he murmured to himself.

He switched the comm on early, but by the time he was hailed, there were already three cloudcars approaching the _Millennium Falcon_.

"I'm trying to reach Lando Calrissian," he told them. "No, I'm not going to tell you the name of my ship. He's an old friend of mine. Show him a holo of this ship and he'll see me."

He knew he was asking to be shot at, so he wasn't surprised when one of the cloudcars fired across his bows. At least it was just a warning shot. He slowed down some more, repeating his suggestion that the pilots transmit a holo to Lando.

C-3PO, in the co-pilot's seat, looked around at him. "Captain Solo, don't you think it would be wiser to allow me to transmit the ship's identification codes …?"

"No, Threepio," he snapped. "I don't want the ship's name, or mine for that matter, on any official records, and if we give a false ID Lando won't see us. We're meant to be undercover, remember? Trust me, this is the safest way to do it."

"It doesn't seem all that safe to me," Threepio murmured.

The comm crackled. "Permission granted to land on Platform 327. Follow us, and no sudden moves."

"Thank you," Han said, and turned to Threepio. "See? Told you it'd work."

Platform 327 was quiet, just like the last time he'd come here, with Leia and Chewie. Except this time there was no Leia, and no Chewie. He'd dropped Chewie off on Kashyyyk before coming here, knowing that if he wanted to travel incognito, going around with a Wookiee wasn't the way to do it. Chewie had taken some convincing, but he'd finally given in. And Leia … well, it hurt to think about Leia. The last time they were here they were running from the Empire, and _she_ was worried about losing _him._ Back then, he'd promised her that she wouldn't lose him, but she'd never made him the same promise.

He shook himself. This was _not_ the time to be thinking like this. He secured the ship and walked down the platform, followed by the two droids, toward the door. He was halfway there when it opened, and Lando came out onto the platform, his cape blowing in the wind. Han rolled his eyes. Lando was the only man he knew of still wore a cape - except for Darth Vader.

"Well, look who it is," Lando said. "What kind of trouble are you in this time?"

Han shook his head. "No trouble. I just have a favour to ask."

Lando grinned, hugging him. "Well, it had to be one or the other, didn't it?"

He led them through the door, and into the city. Cloud City didn't seem to have changed much since Han was last here, still just as busy, but also somehow serene and untroubled by the turmoil in the rest of the galaxy. Sometimes Han forgot that there were lots of places like this, where it didn't seem to matter who was in charge, or what went on on Coruscant, life just went on as normal. He grimaced to himself as he realised he used to have a life like that too. For a moment, the thought occurred to him that he could get that life back, forget the Empire, the Alliance, start a new life outside of all of it. And then he realised that it was too late now to be thinking like that.

They finally reached an office. "Have a seat," Lando invited him. "You want a drink or anything?"

"I wouldn't mind a mug of caf," Han said.

"Caf? You going soft in your old age?"

"Who's old?" Han demanded. "I just decided to lay off the grog for a while, okay?"

"Okay," Lando smiled, pushing some buttons on the terminal in his desk. "So, what brings you here? Where's Chewbacca? And where's your gorgeous Princess?"

Han grimaced. "She's dead."

"Holy - Stang, Han, I'm sorry. What happened?"

He shook his head. "I don't even know. A lot of stuff's happened since I last saw you. It's kind of a long story."

"I've got time."

So Han told him. About how, after he and Leia had left here the last time, they'd gotten back to the Alliance fleet to find out their friend Luke had gone missing, and then how he'd suddenly reappeared claiming to be a Jedi knight, with a crazy story that Leia was his sister, and she should become a Jedi too, despite the fact that Darth Vader was their father. "And you know the craziest part? It was all true." He went on to tell him how Luke had trained Leia as a Jedi, and then had come up with his next crazy plan - that they should go and confront their father, because Luke was convinced that he could be turned back to the good side. "And I must've been crazy too, because I didn't stop them," he said, shaking his head. "Did you hear about the construction site over Endor?"

Lando nodded. "Where the Emperor died, right? I think everyone's heard about that by now."

"I guess. What they don't know is what they were constructing up there: a new Death Star. That's where Leia and Luke went to confront Vader, and the Emperor. And they never came back."

Lando looked grave. "Vader said it was a Jedi killed the Emperor, didn't he? You think that was your girl?"

Han shrugged. "I just don't know. Could have been her, could have been her brother. But there's one thing I really need to find out."

"What? Is that what you want my help with?"

Han nodded. "I don't think Luke Skywalker died on the Death Star. I think he's Lord Starkiller, and I want you to get me into Coruscant so I can prove it."

Lando whistled, then smiled, slowly. "You don't want much, huh? Is this an Alliance operation?"

"Not officially. I'm out on my own … me and the droids here. If you can get us onto the planet, that's good enough. If you can help us with a good cover story while we're there, that's even better. I can't pay you anything, and I know it's a lot to ask …"

Lando looked thoughtful. "It _is_ a lot to ask. Especially with no payout at the end of it. But you know, I liked Leia. I never met her crazy brother, and I'm not sure I'd want to, but I travel to the capital quite often on business. In a cargo ship, just me, with a pilot and a few droids. With all the changes lately, I've been thinking it might be a good time to go after a few new contracts … was thinking of spending a few months there, doing some networking, making some connections …" He raised his eyebrows.

"Well," Han grinned. "I'm a fair pilot."

* * *

Vader took his seat before the Ruling Council again, but this time with his son standing beside him.

"Gentlemen," he began, "May I present to you Lord Starkiller, the future Prime Councillor of the Empire."

There was consternation around the table. Sate Pestage gathered himself together first. "And what makes you think we will accept this, Lord Vader?"

Vader waved his hand. "Simply the fact that he is the obvious choice. Do you not watch the Holonet? From the moment the announcement was made that the Senate would be recalled and would elect a new leader, his name has been mentioned. Repeatedly. The people want him."

"Sasugi Lindstub wants him," one of the advisors scoffed. "And not just as Prime Councillor, I'm willing to bet."

Starkiller took an angry step forward, but Vader held out a hand to stop him. "That was unnecessary," he said. "This man is a hero of the Empire. A hero of the people. His morality is beyond question. He is also untainted by any former association with politics. He is the perfect candidate, and you will be fools if you refuse to support him."

"What of his background?" Cor Rampany asked. "We know nothing of his history before he saved you from the Rebel attack. Why should we trust him?"

Vader gestured to Starkiller, and he stepped forward to speak for himself. "I'll tell you my life story, if you wish, but it's uneventful until the moment I met my Lord Vader. I grew up in the Outer Rim, became an engineer, and began working for the Empire. I was assigned to the Death Star project two years ago. There is nothing notable or interesting about my record until the day we were attacked by the Rebels. I have never been ambitious, all I wanted to do was serve the Empire."

Sate Pestage looked around the table. "Lord Starkiller, would you mind leaving us for a moment?"

Starkiller inclined his head in a minimal bow. "Of course. I understand you will wish to discuss my candidacy in private."

Once the door closed behind him, Pestage leaned forward. "I see your point, Vader, but you should not have sprung him upon us like this. What proof is there that he is capable of ruling the galaxy?"

"There is none," Vader conceded. "But why are you thinking of him as a ruler? Remember, we are not trying to replace Palpatine. We need a figurehead, and he is perfect for that position." He looked around the table again. "Gentlemen, I have gone to a lot of trouble to prepare this young man for you, and I am a little insulted that you seem so ready to dismiss him out of hand."

"Like I said," Pestage maintained, "you should have warned us of your plans. What have you told him? Does he know he is to be only a figurehead, or does he think he is to have real power?"

"He thinks he is to have real power, which he will then abdicate to us, informally, so the people will look to him, but he will look to us. He has no illusions that he will make any of the important decisions. He knows he does not have the experience to do so."

"But what makes you so sure that he'll remain so biddable? You place him on the throne, who knows what ideas he'll start getting."

"He will do what I tell him," Vader insisted. "He respects me, almost as a father figure. I promise you, I can control him."

"Then we might as well place you on the throne."

Vader's temper rose. "We already discussed that. Does anyone else want to do it?" He looked around the table. "Anyone?"

None of the advisors would meet his eyes. Finally, Rampany spoke. "No. We agreed, whoever sits on that throne becomes a target. Co-opting the Rebel Alliance will not destroy it, just make it slightly less dangerous. There are still madmen out there, and whatever we do it will never be enough for some people. Behind the throne, in the background is a far safer place to be."

The Dark Lord nodded. "Then we are agreed. Starkiller will be our favoured candidate for the position of Prime Councillor. Of course there will be other nominees, but we will only allow the weakest to stand. And Starkiller will be elected. Just as I have foreseen. You have made a wise decision."

He rose, and left, leaving the advisors able only to look around at each other, wondering what they had done. Had they just handed the Empire to Darth Vader? Or to someone who could prove even more dangerous?

* * *

Now that Leia had a datapad, she could keep track of time, but she was beginning to wonder if that might not actually be such a good thing after all. Now she knew exactly how long she had been a prisoner, time seemed to pass more slowly every day. Back in the Palace, before she had known exactly how long it had been, when all she had to do was wait, every day was just a day. Now, it seemed more permanent, somehow. Every day was another day of nothing, another day of seeing only protocol droids, wandering aimlessly around the parts of the mansion they allowed her access to, passing time with her datapad … strange how having more space and things to do made it harder. She was restless now, where before, in one room, with nothing to do, she'd been content to just exist.

She started to find strange ways of amusing herself, like giving nicknames to the protocol droids who were her only companions, based on their defects or markings. After a day or so, they were answering to names like Spotty, Elbow, or Greyfoot. It amused her for a while, but after a week, she discovered that they would no longer answer to those names. She realised they must have had their memories wiped. Which meant that whoever was in charge of security in this place must be seriously paranoid - or, more likely, it was Vader who was paranoid and they were just following orders. They obviously didn't want her feeling like she could form any kind of relationship here.

After another week, the droids stopped answering to their nicknames again. And one more week later, they were replaced with a completely different group of droids. And that was how it went on: memory wipes every week, and rotation with a new group of droids every three weeks. Leia would still talk to them, though. Despite them never offering any kind of opinion, she would talk and talk. Sometimes, she would get them to talk to her in different or obscure languages just for fun. Once, she had one of them speak to her in nothing but Shyriiwook all day, which made her laugh for a while, until it reminded her too much of everything she had lost, and she had to tell it to stop.

She missed everyone so much. In some ways, she missed Luke most of all, as he was the only one who had actually chosen to walk away from her. That moment, when she had almost contacted him inside Starkiller, haunted her. Her brother was still there, but he had buried himself inside this new persona, thinking it was the right thing to do. Could he still think that? Would he still think that, when he was Prime Councillor of the Empire? Or would he then realise that he had been duped, that taking over the Empire was not the way to bring peace? She had no way of knowing.

She thought about Han a lot now. She told herself she shouldn't, that it would only upset her, only be a reminder of what she'd lost, but she couldn't help herself. Sometimes she couldn't picture his face, but there was always something she could bring to mind clearly enough to focus on - his hands, his boots, the feel of his shirt against her cheek when he held her, the muscles of his back moving under her hands. She would think of these things as she fell asleep, and sometimes she would dream of him, of happier times. But that only made it worse when she woke and remembered it wasn't real, it would never be real again. She gave up fighting the deep unhappiness that had been stalking her since the moment she'd woken in that cell on the _Executor_.

She'd thought about escaping, to begin with. She'd thought about it a lot. She'd spent a lot of time trying to get into other areas of the mansion, or looking for ways out of the garden. But she was always defeated by one thought: _Where would I go?_ Even if she could escape, it was no use without somewhere to run to. She knew the Alliance had operatives on Coruscant, but she didn't know who they were, or where they were. She could disappear into the underworld easily enough, but what then? What then? Somehow track down the Alliance agents? Steal a ship? Somehow get offplanet, get away somewhere, anywhere, try to find the Alliance, or Han, or … the Alliance might not exist any more, Han might be dead, even getting offplanet could take months. And until she was off Coruscant, she would never be safe from Vader or Starkiller, there was always a chance they could track her down through the Force. Every time, when her plans reached that point, she would sigh and give up. It was hopeless.

So she wandered, aimlessly, retreating into her memories and trying to forget that there was a whole galaxy outside that she could no longer count herself part of.

* * *

The _Cloud Rider_ began its approach to Coruscant, finally. It was a fair-sized ship, and this was a busy planet, and they'd had to wait hours for a slot to become free in the cargo spaceport. In the meantime, they'd had to go through all kinds of security checks and immigration controls. Most were routine, as Lando was a fairly frequent visitor to the capital on business, but it was noted that Shon Jevonak was flying for Calrissian for the first time.

"That's right, Control," Lando agreed with a smile. "My previous guy got married and didn't want to leave Bespin any more. Give him a few months, he'll come to his senses."

Control laughed. "Well, you both check out fine. Usual cargo?"

"That's right. Just one compartment, tibanna samples."

"Sensors confirm that. Should have a slot for you soon. Stand by."

"Acknowledged." Lando deactivated the comm and exhaled. He hadn't been nervous, particularly, but in these situations there was always the possibility that something would go wrong, or you had overlooked something incriminating, and he was always on edge, just in case he had to make a quick getaway.

He looked over at Han, who raised an eyebrow at him.

"Control seems friendly," he said.

"They work in small teams here," Lando explained. "Which approach you take determines which team you get. I always make sure I come in on the same approach, same time of day, that way I always get the same team. The team gets to know you, they get to like you, they get to trust you. It can be useful."

Han nodded. "Always the charmer."

The comm pinged again, and Control came back with landing co-ordinates. "Thanks, Control. Let's go, Jevonak," Lando said.

Han nodded. He knew Lando was sticking his neck out in smuggling him onto Coruscant, and he appreciated it. He appreciated the ship a little less.

"Damn thing handles like a pregnant Hutt," he grumbled as he manoeuvred.

Lando grinned. "Shut up, Jevonak. I'm paying you to fly, not complain."

Despite the pilot's disdain for the ship, the landing was as smooth as it could be, and they moved on to unloading the cargo compartment to a transport to transfer it to Lando's warehouse space. It contained samples of tibanna gas, just as Lando had said, but it also had a small sensor-shielded hidden compartment, similar to the smuggling compartments on the _Falcon_. Just large enough to hold a small human, it currently contained a collection of surveillance equipment. After unloading the boxes onto a speeder, they headed to Lando's usual hotel and checked in. Shon Jevonak's fake ID worked perfectly, once again giving Han reason to be grateful for Lando's past as a conman.

With R2-D2 and C-3PO's help, he had the equipment up and running within the hour. Leaving the droids to calibrate it, he moved to the window, looking out over the vast cityscape. Starkiller was out there somewhere, carrying his secrets with him, and Han was going to find them out, if it was the last thing he ever did.

* * *

The first time she heard a speeder arriving at the mansion retreat, Leia had rushed to the window like a child, trying to see what was happening. But it turned out she could see nothing, and feel nothing useful through the Force, so she'd returned to her datapad, disappointed. She'd asked one of the droids about it later, but all he would tell her was that it was "routine". They continued to arrive occasionally, and she guessed they were probably just deliveries, something to do with the droids, or a change of shift for the humanoid security force she knew were in the mansion somewhere overseeing the whole thing. After a few days, she lost her curiosity and no longer even looked up when she heard them. They offered no relief from the monotony.

As the days went by, she was becoming more and more lethargic. She reflected more than once that she should be doing some exercise, keeping fit, but could not find the motivation, always deciding to do it some other time. The same went for meditation and Jedi exercises - she just couldn't see the point. Instead, she spent most of her time with the datapad, playing pointless games with no end, watching holovids or reading stories. She found no real interest in them, they were just distractions, ways of wasting time she had no other use for, and they left no lasting impression on her. She had stopped keeping a journal, as every entry was the same. She had stopped expecting anything to change.

So when the door to her lounge opened and Lord Starkiller walked in, she jumped in shock. She hadn't felt him approaching through the Force at all.

"Hello, Leia," he said. "How are you?"

She shrugged, pulling herself together. "Fine, I guess. You?"

He wandered around the room, looking out of the windows, picking up and putting down random objects as he spoke. "I'm really busy," he told her. "The Ruling Council has approved my nomination for Prime Councillor, so I'm campaigning constantly. Holonet interviews, visits here, there and everywhere. It's crazy. Much more your sort of thing than mine."

"Not any more," she said quietly.

He turned to look at her; at least, he turned in her direction. It was difficult to tell exactly where he was looking with that mask in the way.

"Why don't you take the mask off, Starkiller?" she asked. "There's only you and me here. It would be nice to see your face, hear your real voice again."

He shook his head. "I can't."

She grimaced at him. "_Can't?_ You mean _won't_, surely. It's not like you need it. Not like Vader needs his."

He shrugged off the jibe. "I need it because it's part of who I am now. People know Starkiller, they think they know his history, what he's been through. Can you imagine if I did take it off, thinking I was safe, and footage of that got out?"

She nodded. "There'd be a scandal, of course. The people would realise they're being duped. We couldn't have that, could we?"

He sighed. "If they're being duped, then it's for their own good. I know you're never going to agree with me …"

"Well, at least you've accepted that."

"… but it _is _the right thing for the galaxy."

"Just crazy," she said. "So did you come here for any particular reason, or is this just a social call?"

He sat down, finally. "Believe it or not, it is just a social call. I wanted to see how you were doing. I worry about you."

"_You_ worry about me," she scoffed. "You put me here, Luke."

He looked around, as if there could be a spy behind the couch, or under the table. "You shouldn't call me that any more. Even when we're alone. It could be dangerous."

She rolled her eyes. "And talking about deceiving the people and how you're lying about everything isn't? Maybe Luke is Starkiller's first name. What difference does it make?"

"I guess you're right," he sighed. "Maybe I'm just being paranoid."

"Maybe."

He tilted his head. "You know, Leia, I sense a lot of bitterness in you."

She looked incredulous. "Oh really? Let me just recap for you: first you convince me it's a good idea for me to train as a Jedi, and then you convince me to go to the Death Star with you to confront our father. Then you turn to the dark side, kill the Emperor, _join_ Vader, drag me along with you, torture me to try to make me turn too, stick me in a house on my own with a bunch of memory-wiped protocol droids for the rest of my life, get yourself elected to replace the Emperor … you won't even let me see your face, and you're _surprised_ that I'm bitter?!"

He looked down at his hands. "I'm sorry, Leia. I know it hasn't been easy for you …"

She felt tears beginning to rise to her eyes, and suddenly couldn't bear to look at the black-clad figure any longer. "Please, Luke," she said, "just go away. Leave me alone."

He nodded. "I'm sorry. I guess coming here was a mistake after all."

As he rose to leave, she found she suddenly wanted to call him back, to beg him to stay just so that she wouldn't be alone. He must have sensed that, because he stopped, hesitated a moment, then came back to sit on the couch with her.

"All right," he said. "Because you're my sister, and I love you, and I want you to see I'm not the heartless monster you think I am."

She watched in fascination as he reached up and unfastened the mask from his hood. A little shiver of apprehension ran through her, as if she was expecting to see something horrific under the mask, but when it came off it was just Luke, looking pale and oddly vulnerable in the black hood and suit. She looked into his eyes. "Say something," she breathed.

He looked embarrassed. "Hello?" he said, and she couldn't help smiling, albeit sadly. He reached for her hands. "You see?" he said. "It's still me. I hate that we've ended up on opposite sides in this. I wish you could see what I see. I wish you could see Father as I do."

"There's no point." Leia shook her head, her eyes immensely sad. "He hates me as much as I hate him. At least … I don't even hate him, really, I just don't see any change in him. He's exactly the same as he was when he was serving the Emperor, except now he has you. Does he tell you what to do, Luke?"

"He advises me," he replied. "I don't know anything about politics, really, so he has to. That's why you would be so much better at this than me."

She felt the tears rising again. For an instant, she wanted to do it. Take on the burden, do what Vader wanted, so her brother could be free. But she knew he wouldn't be. While Vader was around, he would want to be around too. And he would still be Starkiller, and he would still be dark.

"Why do we have to do it at all?" she asked. "Why can't we just leave him to it, and go, both of us together? Just run away from all of this."

"We can't leave him," he said. "He's our father."

She wasn't surprised. Even as she was speaking she had known there was no hope. "Just because he's your father, you don't have to love him," she said quietly. She knew it was a dangerous thing to say, and his reaction confirmed it. His presence in the Force turned very cold, and his hands tightened on hers.

"I don't want to hear you say anything like that again," he told her.

She met his eyes. "It's true," she argued. "If he … I don't know, if he cut off your hand, would you still love him?"

He blinked. "He would still be my father."

She couldn't hold the tears back this time. "That man killed everyone I knew, everything I knew. When I found out you were my brother, do you know what I wanted to do, more than anything else? Take you to Alderaan, introduce you to my family, show you where I grew up, but I couldn't, because none of it's there any more. And that's because of _him_. He stood there, and made me watch my planet die, and you want me to love him?"

"He didn't know who you were …"

"He knew exactly who I was - I was the little troublemaker from Alderaan that he and the Emperor wanted rid of. He tortured me for information on the Alliance. If you hadn't rescued me, they'd have killed me, and he'd have probably watched. He almost killed me back in the Palace."

That brought him up short. "What?"

"Didn't he tell you? It was the last time he came to see me. The only reason he stopped is because he said you would want me alive."

"I …" He paused. She could see him thinking. "I didn't know about that. But … but you tried to kill him too."

"Yes." Her voice was stronger now, her eyes full of determination. "And if I had another chance, I'd do it again, if it's the only way to break his hold over you. I just wish I'd checked the lightsaber was working first."

He shook his head. "You know I would stop you."

"You would try."

There was nothing more to say. They looked into each other's eyes for a long moment, each despairing of the other, each wishing the other could see things their way, but knowing they would never agree. Eventually, Leia closed her eyes, and bowed her head. Luke let go of her hands, and put his mask back on.

As he rose to leave, he put his hand on her shoulder. "I'll come back and see you again."

She said nothing.

* * *

Luke went straight from the mansion retreat to find Darth Vader in the Imperial Palace. The meeting with Leia had disturbed him, and he needed his father's reassurance. Vader sensed his confusion straight away, and was not pleased about it.

"I wanted to talk to you about Leia," Luke began. "I'm worried about her."

"I advised you not to see her, did I not?"

He nodded. "Yes, you did. But even if she has made herself our enemy, she's still my sister. You were my enemy once, but you were still my father. If I'd thought like that then, we wouldn't be here now."

Vader waved his hand dismissively. "Perhaps. So what, precisely, troubles you about her?"

"She's very bitter. She still thinks you're manipulating me. She won't accept that you could ever do anything right, or for the right reasons. She said she would try to kill you again if she had the chance. And … she also told me something unexpected."

"Yes?"

"She told me you tried to kill her."

"Ah. I wondered whether she might."

"Then it's true?"

"That I tried? Yoda must have told you there is no try. I merely used the threat of death to convince her that I was serious. But I told you, she is unbreakable. She asked me to kill her, in fact."

Luke looked away. Though he tried not to, he missed Leia desperately, and her opposition was the only thing that occasionally made him doubt his actions.

Vader leaned forward. "I warned you your attachment to her is dangerous. She puts doubts in your mind. I sense your feelings right now, you fear that if she opposes something, it may not be right. You must search deeper. Pay no mind to her manipulations. She wants you to fail. All the time she is thinking that you are no politician, that is her job, she was raised to it, you are merely a farmer. Do not allow her to cloud your judgement."

"Yes …" he said slowly. "Yes, you're right. I allowed her that opening, and she used it. I understand." He paused. "You should have told me what you did, though. When she told me … I was disturbed. I wanted to protect her. For a moment, I wanted to take revenge."

Vader nodded. "And yet you did not."

"I knew you had to have a reason."

"Good. Then you resisted her. You must trust me, if we are to succeed in our plan. True, it would be easier if my master had killed her on the Death Star, but we must deal with the circumstances as they are. Killing her would be counterproductive, it would turn you against me. And you know I do not want that."

"Yes …" Vader would prefer it if Leia had died, he realised. His father would prefer it if his sister were dead. But Leia felt the same about Vader. It was hard, being caught between them like this. How could he come to terms with it? He didn't know. But he would have to, if he was going to go on down the path he had chosen.

"I need to take some time to meditate, and think," he told the Dark Lord. "My feelings are not clear."

"Yes," Vader agreed. "Take as much time as you need."

* * *

Han sat back from the console, sighing and raking his fingers through his hair. It had been two weeks since they'd arrived on Coruscant, and so far they'd failed to discover anything useful. He was beginning to wonder if they ever would, or if Starkiller was just too good for them. One thing the guy seemed to really know about was security. They'd been tapping into the security forces' frequency since the second day they were here, and all they'd found out was that Starkiller spent most of his time at the Imperial Palace, in between visits to the Senate building, the Security headquarters, and the Holonet News studios. Apart from that, there were all the campaign visits he was making. All his movements were well known, or easy to find out about, but wherever he went, security was ridiculously tight. It was beginning to look like unless they could get into the Imperial Palace - which of course was out of the question without an assault squad behind them - they would never be able to even get close to Starkiller.

Trying to find out about his background had been equally frustrating. Lando had arranged a meeting with the Death Star's main engineering contractor, and Artoo had managed to covertly download their employee records, but out of a payroll of some 2,500, there had been a possible 523 matches for Starkiller among the dead; only 10 among the survivors, but they were all accounted for. With no way to narrow down the matches among the dead, they faced a durasteel wall.

At least with more footage to work with, the analysis programs had now been able to determine a 61% probability that Starkiller was Luke Skywalker. In a crazy moment, Han had also compared Starkiller to Leia Organa, but the match result for that had come out at only 22%. Still, 61% was almost a two out of three chance. And he was aware that Jedi were able to disguise themselves with great efficiency. But it wasn't even close to being concrete proof of anything.

All in all, he was frustrated and running out of ideas. The only remaining option seemed to be to begin physically following Starkiller around, but that would be extremely difficult, not to mention dangerous, and he really didn't want to take that route until he had exhausted every other option.

So he had begun looking at those who had associated with Starkiller, thinking there might be some way of getting information from them. Right now he was going through the passenger list on the _Nebula Princess_. Some of them had been interviewed for Holonet News already, but what he really needed was someone willing to offer up some dirt. The best way of doing that was to find someone who was less wealthy than the usual cruise taker, someone who hadn't been interviewed already, and who might be willing to share some insight for a few credits in return. And of course, who had had some contact with Starkiller.

"Any luck?" Lando asked. He had just returned from a meeting, and handed Han a mug of caf as he sat down.

"Not much," Han told him. "If I can't find anyone useful from the ship I'm going to have to start looking at the pirates. Thing is, he took out that gang so cleanly, none of the survivors even saw him. You saw the trial footage - the closest they got to having contact with him is when the leader heard his pilot killed over the comlink."

Lando nodded. "So even if they spoke to a friend before they were executed, they're not likely to have told them anything new or useful. Needle in a haystack you're looking for buddy, needle in a haystack."

"Tell me about it. Nobody's that perfect, though. He has to have slipped up somehow, and if he has, I'll find it."

It was starting to look almost definite that Starkiller would be elected as Prime Councillor. Every day on the Holonet, someone else was lending their support, more senators and systems were announcing that they would be voting for Starkiller. It was also looking very much like the Alliance would not exist much longer. Every Holonet debate on the issue concluded that the Alliance's aims had been achieved with the recall of the Senate. Han recognised several senators who he knew to be Rebel sympathisers backing up this point of view. Ironically, Starkiller seemed to be one of the few public figures going against the flow, saying that no-one should assume the galaxy was at peace yet. To Han, this was just more evidence of his real identity. Luke Skywalker knew the Alliance well enough to know that it wouldn't truly be fobbed off with a strictly controlled puppet Senate.

He still wavered, though. Most of the time, he was absolutely certain that Starkiller and Skywalker were the same person, but now and then he would become convinced that it was the craziest idea he had ever had, and it was impossible that black-clad freak could be Luke. But one thing he knew for sure was that he would never rest until he knew, beyond a shadow of a doubt, one way or the other.

More than anything else though, Han just wanted to talk to Starkiller. If he was Luke, he could tell him what had happened to Leia, and that was the question he wanted answered more than any other, the question that he fell asleep thinking about every night. He was finally beginning to accept that she was almost definitely dead, but he couldn't rest until he knew, for sure, exactly what had happened. If Luke had had any part in it … that was the hardest thing to think about. He knew Luke had loved Leia, even before he knew who she really was, and he couldn't imagine him ever hurting her in any way. But then, he couldn't imagine him working with Darth Vader and running the kriffing Empire either. He would kill him. If something Luke had done had led to Leia's death, Han would kill him stone dead, Jedi or not. But, damn it, he had to get to him first. And before that, he had to find out if he even _was_ Luke Skywalker.

He turned back to the _Nebula Princess_'s passenger records, sighing.

* * *

By the time Leia had been a prisoner for 100 days, Lord Starkiller had taken his place as Prime Councillor of the Empire. Darth Vader stood beside him as he took the oath of office, promising faithfully to listen to his advisors, and always do what he felt was best for the Empire and his subjects. He promised never to abuse his power for personal gain, and he swore to always keep the needs of the people uppermost in his mind.

He meant it, too. Vader could feel it. And because he meant it, the people believed it. Vader's heart swelled with pride in his son, and himself. Starkiller would be the most popular leader of the galaxy there had ever been, and together they would preside over a new era, a golden age of peace and prosperity the like of which had never been seen before. It made it all worth it. All the pain, all the suffering, all the death and destruction, it had all been worth it, as it had led to this.

Leia watched the ceremony in Lord Vader's mansion retreat, on a terminal that one of the droids had brought to her lounge especially for the occasion. When she realised what she was being shown, she had begged the droid to turn it off, but it refused. Its orders were to ensure she watched the whole ceremony, and it didn't understand why she would not want to see, thinking some experience of the outside world would be in the nature of a treat for her. For Leia, it was more like torture. Her tears began to fall when Luke took the stand, and after that she could not stop them. Nothing had felt worse than this; not Alderaan, not Hoth - this felt like the greatest defeat of the war, and perhaps also the final one.


	6. The Force of Others: Part 2

**TWO**

Han would never have admitted it, but he was beginning to lose hope. After months of searching, he had come up with nothing. A big, fat zero. A zero as big and fat as Jabba the Hutt in his fat years. The passengers from the _Nebula Princess_ would say nothing against Starkiller. Even those that admitted to feeling a little intimidated by him after his exploits against the pirates said it was only because he was obviously so good in a fight, and not someone you wanted to get on the wrong side of. They were still full of admiration for him. It was nothing he hadn't heard anywhere else. Everybody who met the guy seemed to damn near fall in love with him.

The days he'd spent in the underworld were no more use. The pirates hadn't told anyone anything before their execution, again except for advice not to go up against Starkiller. Lando was beginning to run out of excuses to be on Coruscant, and was starting to talk about leaving. Han had said he would stay behind, but then he would have no cover, and things would be all the more difficult.

Things were more difficult all around, now. Following Starkiller's appointment as Prime Councillor, the Alliance was beginning to fall apart. His last message from Madine had informed him that people were leaving by the dozen. They were still managing to maintain a skeleton military force, and Mon Mothma and a few more of the General Council were still around, but the recall of the Senate and the election had been a body blow for the Rebellion. They could only hope, Madine had said, that those who had left would come to their senses eventually and realise nothing had really changed.

All in all, it wasn't good. And the last thing he needed right now was a pair of squabbling droids. The argument had been going on for a while, he realised. He looked up.

"But Artoo," C-3PO was saying, "Captain Solo clearly told you to analyse Lord Starkiller's movements with the aim of finding a place to ambush him. You are straying from your instructions."

Indignant beeping from the little astromech.

"I don't care _how_ interesting it is," Threepio protested. "It is not within your remit. Stop being so insubordinate immediately!"

R2-D2 rocked backward and forward insistently, beeping and tweeting some more.

Han sighed. "Threepio? What is going on?"

The golden droid turned to look at him. "I am so sorry, Captain Solo. Artoo is not following your orders. Sometimes I despair of this little droid. I think he has had too many modifications. He has certainly gone far too long without a memory wipe, and - Artoo!"

Artoo had squealed loudly, bumping Threepio and almost knocking the taller droid off his feet.

"Maybe we should listen to what he's got to say," Han suggested.

"Oh, sir, I really think that would be setting a precedent which we do not -"

Han held up a warning finger, speaking slowly and insistently. "Tell me what he says."

If Threepio could have sighed, he would have. "Oh, very well, sir. He says he has uncovered several incidents where Lord Starkiller has seemed to disappear from the security grid. I told him that was not what he was ordered to do, but -"

"Never mind. That _is_ interesting. Any idea where he went?"

Threepio listened to Artoo for a moment. "No. But on several occasions his whereabouts have been unknown for several hours. Take this example. He left the Imperial Palace at 09:00, and arrived at the Senate building at 09:30. Then he left the Senate building at 13:00 for a campaign meeting in Monument Plaza, and returned to the Senate building at 15:00. Then, he is announced arriving at the Imperial Palace at 21:00, but there was no announcement of his having left the Senate building at all."

"An oversight?"

"Artoo thinks not. It has happened several times. And each time, he is not announced as having left the Senate building, but after a certain time, there is no record of his presence there. No appearance on security cams, even in his own office, no logins to any computer systems. And then several hours later, he simply reappears on the grid. Artoo thinks he is visiting somewhere secretly."

Han began to smile. "You may be right, little guy. It's not much, but it's the best lead we've had in a long time. Thanks."

Artoo beeped smugly, prompting Threepio to rap him smartly on his dome. "Artoo! Very well, you were right, but there's no need to be quite so rude about it."

* * *

Following the election, Leia had fallen into despair. She had become so distressed at watching Starkiller's inauguration that a medical droid had been sent in to sedate her. She had still been recovering from the effects of the drug when Luke had come to visit her the next day, so didn't remember much of what had happened. She did remember calling him a traitor, and she remembered how angry that had made him. He had visited her several times since then, but he had always remained guarded against her. He would not remove his mask, and he would not allow any contact through the Force. She would argue with him every time, crying and screaming at him, ending up drained and exhausted when he left, feeling worse than she had before he arrived. She knew it would be healthier for her to refuse his visits, but somehow she could never bring herself to do it. She could have asked the droids not to admit him, but she never did. He was all she had, the only remnant of her past, and she could not bring herself to give that up. Somehow, some small part of her seemed to think she could still get through to him, that there was still some atom of hope for her to cling to, some chance of something changing.

Every time he left, she realised she was wrong. He was not going to change. Her life was not going to change. It was becoming harder and harder to get out of bed in the morning, she was sleeping later and later, but all that did was ensure she lay awake late into the night, unable to sleep, staring blankly into the dark and wishing it could all be over.

She found herself crying, crying all the time, without even needing a reason. She was crying now, feeling her life stretching ahead of her, empty and meaningless. "I can't do it," she sobbed. "I can't be alone forever."

"As a Jedi, alone you are not."

Her tears stopped instantly as her breath caught in her throat. She looked around, frantically, and saw a small, greenish, glowing figure in the corner of the room, regarding her with detached interest.

"What -?" she gasped. "Who are you?"

"I am Yoda," he told her. "And my ally is the Force, so alone I am not."

"You … you're Luke's master."

He sighed, looked down. "Yes. Failed with him, I did. But a better teacher than learner, he seems to have been."

She nodded, sadly. "He taught me well," she said. "But I failed him too. I should have realised how vulnerable he was."

"Yes. Matters are desperate now," Yoda agreed.

"He's so far away from me," Leia said. "He won't even let me try to reach him any more."

Yoda shook his head. "Deep has he fallen into the dark side. Difficult will he be to save. But perhaps, strong enough you will be to do what needs to be done."

Leia frowned. "Me? But how can I do anything? I told you he won't listen to me."

"Not while you are his prisoner. But once you escape -"

"Escape? I can't escape, I've been over and over it, unless I have somewhere to go they'll find me. And I can't contact anyone, I don't even know who I could contact, it's impossible."

"So certain are you," Yoda said calmly. "Did I not tell you, alone you are not."

"Can you help me?" she asked, feeling a glimmer of hope beginning to wake in her.

"Perhaps not as you think," Yoda said. "I cannot aid your escape, but teach you I can things you will need to know after your escape."

The glimmer faded again. "What use is that?" she demanded.

"Impatience is your weakness. Wait, and you will see."

She shook her head. "I don't understand. No-one even knows I'm here - apart from Luke and Vader."

"And things change. Remember, friends you have outside this prison, hmm? If they knew you were here, would they not try to rescue you?"

"Well … yes, they would. If they knew I was here. Are you saying someone knows I survived the Death Star, someone's looking for me?"

"Alone you are not," Yoda insisted yet again. "Forgotten you are not. And ready you must be, for the day when escape becomes possible. You are our last hope to restore balance to the Force, and peace to the galaxy. Ready you must be."

She looked down, chastened. "I'm sorry, master. It's been so long, I … just can't see any hope any more."

"Hmm. If give up you do, all hope is lost. Meditate on this you must, before I visit you again."

And with that, he disappeared. For a moment, she just sat, looking at the space he had occupied, hardly able to believe what she had just seen. She had known people who had died could appear as "ghosts" through the Force; Luke had told her how Obi-Wan Kenobi had appeared to him like that to tell him where to find Yoda, and had appeared to him again on Dagobah. But she had never seen it for herself before. It was strange … strange not just to talk to a dead person, but to feel so _glad_ to have talked to one. _My only friend is a ghost,_ she thought, and caught her breath, not sure whether she was laughing or just crying again.

She shook her head, trying to focus. Whether Yoda was alive or dead wasn't really important right now. He had told her things, and they were important things, and she had to think about them. She had to … _focus!_ What had she been doing for the last … however many months she'd been here? Nothing, that was what. Giving in. Letting them win. That was why Yoda had come to see her, because she was failing. She got up from the couch, shaking herself, then sat down crosslegged on the floor. Enough giving up. She closed her eyes, and opened herself to the Force.

Letting the Force flow through her, she thought about escaping, putting aside all of the doubts and fears that normally stopped her, and just imagined escaping the mansion. She visualised herself leaving, trying to see it as clearly as possible. She was dressed all wrong, she realised. This dress was far too voluminous, her shoes far too flimsy. Mentally, she searched her wardrobe for something more practical, and ended up in a loose shirt, trousers and boots. Her hair, too. She tied it back, nothing too elaborate, just to get it out of the way. Now she was almost ready to leave. She picked up her datapad, and suddenly felt a flash of danger. There was something wrong with it - was it booby trapped? She opened her eyes, frowning, and reached for the real datapad, looking at it closely for the first time, and simultaneously tracing the tiny echo of danger it now gave off. It was rigged, she realised, but not with a bomb, with something far more dangerous - a homing beacon. But why would they put a homing beacon in her datapad unless … unless they thought it possible that she could escape? Of course. She smiled, suddenly. Vader, Starkiller, security - whoever it was had decided to put the homing beacon in the datapad - they thought there was a possibility of her escaping. And surely, if they thought it was possible, it made complete sense for her to also think it possible. She would have to remove that beacon. But first she would change her clothes.

* * *

When Yoda returned, several days later, Leia's mood was considerably improved. The initial burst of energy that had led her to change her clothes and remove the homing beacon from her datapad had not really lasted, but it also had not totally dissipated. Her new master was pleased to see her at least able to think straight and take stock of her situation now, instead of merely sleepwalking through the days as she had been before he first visited her. For the first couple of hours, he instructed her on the process of building a lightsaber. Leia could not really see what use that would be to her in the near future, but she found it interesting and was happy to learn something new, after being deprived of intellectual stimulation for so long. Afterwards, they fell to discussing Vader and Starkiller again.

"Together, they are strong," Yoda told her. "Apart, they are not. Seen this you have, in your meetings with them."

"Yes, I have," she agreed. "I've thought about it a lot. Vader has such a hold over Luke, and the only way I can think of to break it is to kill him. If I could get near him, I'd do it, no question. But I can't get near him. And I've tried to get Luke away from him, but I can't. Every day I spend here he falls deeper into the dark side. I'm afraid I've already lost him, Master Yoda."

"He still visits you, does he not?"

"Yes …"

"Then lost he is not, if part of him still seeks you out."

She nodded thoughtfully. "Yes … But I can't get through to him. I can't -"

"So many things you cannot do," he interrupted. "And yet, only one thing there is that must be done."

"And what's that?"

"Starkiller must be destroyed."

"Destroyed?" She felt a sudden throb of dread. "You mean … killed? You want me to kill Luke?"

Yoda's eyes widened. "No, no!" he exclaimed. "Not killed. The wrong path that would be, for you. Destroyed _Starkiller_ must be, so that Skywalker can re-emerge as himself."

"I see … I think. But how …?"

"The difficult part that is," he nodded. "Too many variables still exist, too many possible futures cannot yet be untangled. But your ultimate goal it is. Listen, because sometimes, help is found in unexpected places. Perhaps from old friends with knowledge you never suspected. Perhaps from random strangers. Perhaps from those you consider enemies. Obscure and strange are the ways of the Force. Assume nothing, you must, and be prepared for when opportunities present themselves. But make no mistake: succeed in your task, you must. Otherwise all is lost."

* * *

It took several days to prepare a speeder, and then Han started staking out the Senate building. With Artoo linked to the speeder's modified systems, he would fly around and around the building, waiting for an unannounced transport to leave. Starkiller's disappearances were infrequent, and there was no pattern to them, so they had no idea when he might leave, or what kind of transport he would be in. They had decided to focus on closed speeders, due to the clandestine nature of Starkiller's doings, and Artoo was eavesdropping on the security chatter, feeding anything interesting through the speeder's comm so Han could hear it too. If a closed speeder left the building unannounced, they would follow it. Using a modified targeting system, Artoo could lock onto the speeder and keep track of it. Security forces were not limited to the regular skylanes, but a civilian speeder couldn't just take off as it wished. The target lock meant they could follow without getting too close or attracting attention by breaking traffic laws.

Traffic was always busy in this sector. At any time, there were thousands of speeders circling the Senate building, so they were unlikely to attract any unwanted attention. Twelve hours a day, for the last week, that was all Han had done - circle the Senate building and wait, and go on the occasional wild Bantha chase after closed speeders which were never Starkiller. But he was happy to do it, if it meant he could somehow get to the bottom of this mystery and answer the one question he wanted answered: is Lord Starkiller Luke Skywalker? Some might have called him obsessed, and perhaps he was, but it was all he had.

Artoo beeped, and Han read the translation as it scrolled up the screen on the speeder's dashboard.

"Unannounced closed speeder. One lifeform, humanoid. Leaving Hangar B-3, South. Targeting … locked."

Han nodded as the target appeared on the speeder's HUD. "Thanks, Artoo. Let's hope it's not just another senator off to the red light district."

The speeder wasn't heading into the underground, though. It stayed high, joining the skylanes once the congestion had thinned out. Han kept his distance, but stayed close enough so he could see it with his eyes as well as the systems. The journey took an hour and a half, and ended in a high-end residential district, the speeder coming to land in the garden of an upmarket top-level mansion. Artoo activated the long-range camera, and captured an image as the driver exited the vehicle. It was unmistakably Starkiller. Han felt his heart leap. "That's it, Artoo. We've got him. Got the address logged?"

Artoo beeped an affirmative. Han flew on, past the building, getting a good look at it. _Whatever you're up to in there, Starkiller, I'll find out. _Then he changed lanes, heading back to the hotel, feeling optimistic for the first time in months.

* * *

Starkiller paused as he crossed the lawn to the path, suddenly feeling someone's attention on him. He reached out in the Force, frowning, but it was gone already. For a moment, he wondered if he should worry about it - if someone knew of this place, that it was somewhere he visited, that could be dangerous. But then he shrugged it off, deciding he was just being paranoid, and continued into the house.

When he reached Leia's sitting room, he found her standing on her hands. She showed no inclination to get down, even when he greeted her. "Keeping busy?" he asked with amusement.

"It's good to keep fit," she replied. "Besides, it gives me something to do."

He nodded. "I don't really have time to keep up with my exercises lately. Running the galaxy keeps me pretty busy."

"Uh huh." She flipped back to her feet, and started on a set of warm-down stretches.

Starkiller regarded her quizzically. "You seem a little more cheerful than you were the last time I saw you," he commented.

Leia shrugged. "Things change. I realised I could live for another hundred years, and it would be ridiculous to assume that things will stay as they are now for that long. So I'm waiting."

"Waiting for what?"

"I don't know yet. When I do, I'll tell you. If I'm still here."

He smiled sardonically under the mask. She couldn't see it, but she felt it.

"You're not thinking of escaping, are you?" he asked her, amusement in his voice. "Where would you go? No-one's going to rescue you this time. No-one even knows you're here."

She raised an eyebrow. "You do. And Vader does."

"But we're not going to tell anybody."

"Well, maybe you won't have to."

He suddenly remembered the sense he'd had outside, that someone was watching him. Maybe he wasn't being paranoid after all, maybe she was up to something. Force knew how, but maybe she had managed to contact someone after all, despite all their precautions. "What are you talking about?" he demanded. "Do you know something? Are you in touch with someone? Tell me!"

She shook her head calmly. "I have seen no living being except for you since I came here. And how would I contact anyone without Holonet or comm access?"

"Something's changed," he insisted. "You're up to something, and I'll find out what, and then I'll stop you. You're not getting out of here, Leia. Even in a hundred years, I promise you that."

She turned away, sadly. "Your promises to me don't count for much any more, Luke."

"I don't know why I even keep coming to see you," he snapped.

"Well, maybe you should meditate on that," she suggested, without looking round. "You might learn something."

He waved his hand at her, exasperated. Then, saying nothing more, he turned and left. But the encounter had troubled him. He went straight from the mansion back to the Imperial Palace, to his father.

"I'm sure she's up to something," he told Vader. "The last time I saw her, she was so depressed she could barely speak, now she's doing handstands and telling me how she's waiting for things to change!"

Vader shrugged. "So she has changed her attitude. That means nothing. She could merely be feeling more positive, or … she could even be doing it simply because she knows it will disturb you."

The Dark Lord rose, turning to look out of the window. "This is a crucial time for the Empire, my son. The Prime Councillor cannot afford to be distracted by what may be phantom concerns. You must concentrate on what is truly important - crushing the uprising in the Meridian sector, for example."

Starkiller nodded slowly. "You are right. Such unrest cannot be allowed to spread. I must meet with the Ruling Council tomorrow, see if we can spare some of the fleet to help restore order quickly. Will the _Executor_ be free?"

Vader inclined his head in a small bow. "Awaiting your order, my lord," he confirmed.

* * *

The place to which Starkiller was making his mystery visits turned out to be owned by Darth Vader, or more precisely, a holding company which, when traced back through the records, turned out to be the vehicle for all Lord Vader's private expenditure. Han had immediately forwarded copies of those files to the Alliance - they were a mother lode of evidence of his off-the-record business going back over twenty years. He hoped the Alliance - at least what remained of it - would be able to make use of it.

The mansion retreat itself was still something of an enigma, though. The records showed it was staffed almost exclusively with protocol droids, which were memory-wiped and rotated frequently, evidence if Han had ever seen it that something extremely top secret was going on in there. But he still had no idea what that was. He'd spent some time watching the place from a distance, and security was airtight. There was a small human security force, who changed shifts twice a day, and apart from them, no-one went in or out. Even delivery vehicles weren't admitted; instead, they dropped their consignments outside the door, where they were picked up by a droid after the speeder had left. There was no way he was getting in there himself. He needed an inside man, and that inside man, he had decided, would have to be R2-D2. He was well aware of the little droid's talent for sneaking around and finding information he wasn't supposed to have, and that was exactly what was needed in this case.

The hardest part would be getting him into the mansion. Between them, they'd eventually decided the best way would be for him to infiltrate the company that supplied the mansion's droids. Artoo was confident that from there it would be easy for him to place a requisition order for an astromech for the mansion into the system. So Lando and Han went droid shopping.

Lanoorez Droid Dealers was a well-known and well-respected dealership, one of the largest on Coruscant. Its building was famous for the enormous holo of a waving C-3 protocol droid which was projected from its roof, visible for miles around. C-3PO was unimpressed by it, branding it vulgar. "Protocol droids are meant to be unobtrusive in their operations," he sniffed. "We are not programmed to draw attention to ourselves in such a fashion."

As they left their speeder, a middle-aged male human hustled from the office to meet them.

"Greetings, gentlebeings," he said. "I am Atravic Rand, manager of this facility. Welcome to Lanoorez Droid Dealers."

Lando stepped forward, proffering his hand. "Greetings," he said. "I am Baron Lando Calrissian, administrator of the Cloud City tibanna gas mining facility on Bespin. This is my pilot and assistant, Shon Jevonak."

Rand nodded at Han. "And what can I do for you today, Baron Calrissian? We already have a tibanna supplier we're very happy with …" he smiled.

Lando bared his teeth in a grin that was just as unctuous as Rand's. Han rolled his eyes. "Oh, no, I'm not here to sell," he said. "I'm looking to buy. Just window shopping at this stage, you understand, but I'm thinking of investing in a protocol droid."

"New, used, vintage? We have a wide selection here, I'm sure I could find something to suit your taste."

"Thank you. I'm looking for something newer. I have an old C-3 at the moment, who acts as my secretary and general aide. I rely on him a great deal, but he's developed certain idiosyncrasies over the years."

Rand nodded sympathetically. "Ah yes, the C-3 series. A vintage classic, a thing of beauty. But they are prone to personality problems. Have you tried a memory wipe? Sometimes that can help. We offer an excellent service here …"

Lando shook his head. "His memories are useful to me. That's why I'm not looking to replace him, but adding a newer model would be of benefit."

"Of course. We have a full range of the newest CZ models, which I think would be perfect for you. Or for the more affordable option, an extensive array of second hand models. I'm sure I can help you find something that will suit your needs. Come through to the showroom."

He led them toward the door, chattering the whole time about droid models and Lando's requirements. Han hung back a little way, pulling out his comlink. "You're clear to go, Artoo," he whispered.

R2-D2 disconnected himself from the comm and exited the speeder, ignoring Threepio's exhortations to be careful. The lot was deserted, and he made a beeline for the nearest data access point, hooking himself up. It was the work of moments for the little droid to add his own details to the droid shop's inventory, and once that was done, he could relax. He headed for the workshop, whistling quietly to himself as he went.

* * *

Two days later, R2-D2 found himself on a transport to the mansion retreat. Once there, he spent his first day solely in the hangar, getting friendly with the mansion's central computer and doing the binary equivalent of sweet-talking it into allowing him access to the deeper systems.

The central computer was a suspicious one, even by Imperial standards, and it had taken him another day to convince it to give him the clearance level he needed. But once he had it, it took him no time at all to find what he was looking for in the security cam archives. He whistled aloud when he found it, immediately opening a secure broadcast link back to the receiver in Han's hotel room. He knew Captain Solo would want to know about this as soon as possible.

* * *

C-3PO looked up from the console. "Captain Solo? We're receiving a message from R2-D2, sir."

Han didn't even look up from the datapad he was working on. "Great. Read it to me, will you?"

"Of course, sir. One moment. He says he has succeeded in his mission to infiltrate the mansion retreat and discover Lord Starkiller's reason for visiting there. And - oh my!"

This time he did look up. "What?"

"He suggests you ensure you are sitting down before viewing this holo, sir."

Han felt a jolt of excitement. "Has he found something? I'm sitting, come on, hit me."

"Yes, sir." Threepio activated the holoprojector, and they watched as the blue static resolved … into an image of Leia Organa.

Han dropped his datapad, not even hearing the crash as it hit the floor. His heart was suddenly pounding, his breath short. He went to point at the holo, realised his hands were shaking. "It …" he stammered. "It's Leia! She … she … but …"

"It appears Mistress Leia did not die on the Death Star after all," Threepio finished helpfully.

He couldn't take his eyes off her. She was moving, seemed to be talking to someone out of camera range. She looked sad, tired. But beautiful, so beautiful. Leia … his Leia was still alive. He reached toward the holo again, like he could touch her, but of course he couldn't. Tears sprang to his eyes. She was _alive!_

"We have to rescue her!" he exclaimed. "Threepio, call Lando. Leia's _alive!_"

"Yes, sir," Threepio said. "I am so glad to see her highness alive and well. I have missed her very much, you know."

He finally tore his eyes away from the holo. "Me too, Threepio," he told him fervently. "Me too."

Moments later, Lando came rushing into the room. "What is it?" he asked. "You got something?"

Han just gestured to the holo, which was still playing in its loop. He knew each movement she would make by heart now, but still couldn't stop watching it.

Lando stopped dead when he saw it, then slowly crossed to the couch and sat down. "Is that … Leia?"

Han nodded, again having to tear his eyes away so he could look at his friend. "It is. She's alive." His voice shook. "That's why Starkiller was going to that mansion in secret - to see her. We have to rescue her."

Lando nodded. "That settles it, then, doesn't it? Starkiller _has_ to be your friend Luke. There's no other explanation."

"We gotta go get her," Han insisted. His hand instinctively went to his blaster.

Lando held up his hands. "Whoa - hang on. You can't just go rushing in there right now. You've seen what security in that place is like. We need a plan, buddy - and a damn good one."

Han clenched his fists. "But it's Leia. I need to go get her!"

Lando put a hand on his arm. "And we will, don't worry. Look, she's alive, she's not hurt, we just need a few days to make sure we can do it right. Plus, as soon as we have her, we'll have to get off the planet right away. If we make a run for it, it'll arouse suspicion. Give me a few days, so I can tell people I'm planning to leave, and then we'll do it."

Han glared at him.

"Trust me," Lando insisted. "We can do it and get away with it. I promise."

Han's eyes were drawn back to the holo again. His heart ached to see her, so close, but still so inaccessible. He squeezed his eyes closed, dropped his head on the back of the couch. "All right," he said tightly. "What's your plan?"

"Well. First, we need to get someone in there who can get her out - and it can't be you," he added quickly as Han went to speak. "Come on, Han, the entire staff of that place is made up of protocol droids." He looked meaningfully at Threepio.

"Oh, my," the droid said.

"We saw they renew the droids every three weeks, didn't we? When's the next batch due to be swapped in?"

Han checked his datapad for the records. "We're lucky," he said. "Three days' time."

"Excellent. So Threepio goes in with the droids - "

"But, sir!" Threepio protested. "They will wipe my memory! I will be no use as a spy then … not that I think I will make a very good spy in any case … but - "

Lando shook his head, smiling. "Don't worry, Threepio. Remember, Artoo's already in place. We'll send him a copy of your current memory, and then once you're in, he can restore it to you. That'll work, right?"

"Well … yes, sir. It can be somewhat traumatic, but it will work."

"Great. Then all you have to do is get to Leia, and guide her out. What else do we need? A speeder, a meeting point - we'll use the warehouse. And we can go straight from there back to the _Cloud Rider_, and home."

Han nodded, getting it. "With Leia in that hidden compartment we used to smuggle this stuff in."

"Exactly," Lando confirmed. "You see? Much better than trying to charge in there all guns blazing."

He sighed. "You're right. Artoo will need to start on planning an escape route, and getting a speeder ready. Threepio, send him a message, tell him what we're going to do." He suddenly smiled. "And tell him I love him."

"Yes, sir."

"And download that holo to a handheld for me."

"Yes, sir."

* * *

Han couldn't stop looking at the holo. That first night, he had placed it on his bedside table, still playing over and over in the same loop. He knew precisely the moment where she would look up, where her eyes would narrow, where her mouth would open as she thought before speaking, where she would blink, where she would nod, and yet he never grew tired of watching it. When he woke the next morning, it was still there, and still playing. He smiled wryly. "Morning, sweetheart," he said.

Looking again at the holo with somewhat fresh eyes, he noticed again how unhappy she looked. There was no hint of that smile which could light up her whole face, and which never failed to stun him when she turned it on him. But hopefully, he would be able to see her smile soon, and for real, not just in a holo.

He switched the player off as he got out of bed. Much as he would like to, he couldn't walk around with it all day. He had things to do, preparations to make, and he couldn't be distracted, not even by her. He took it with him, though, and he did manage to sneak a few looks at it during the day in quiet moments. He was like an addict needing a fix, he thought, shaking his head at himself.

R2-D2, with his typical efficiency, had reported that he had already reprogrammed one of the mansion's speeders with the route from there to Lando's warehouse space. He had found the rooms where Leia was being held, and planned a route from there back to the hangar. His next step would be to slice the security systems so he could ensure they didn't cause any alerts when the time came to rescue her. Now all they had to do was make sure Threepio was sent in with the next batch of droids in two days' time. Threepio was confident he could alter the requisition records at the droid suppliers, replacing the serial number of another droid on the list with his own, but they had to get him in there first.

"I could sell him to Lanoorez," Lando suggested, but Han shook his head.

"Too risky without knowing their procedure. They might do a full service on any new acquisitions, that could take days. We really need to sneak him in, like we did Artoo. If we go see Rand again, keep him distracted, Threepio can sneak in to the warehouse, find the droids for the mansion, and get his serial number onto the list."

"Oh, sir," Threepio protested. "This kind of clandestine work does make me nervous. What if I am spotted?"

Lando rolled his eyes. "Threepio, you're a droid in a droid shop. No-one's going to ask you any questions. If they do, just say someone activated you but you have no idea where you're supposed to be."

"Oh dear."

"Don't worry," Han told him. "Artoo's already got your back up memory. Once they wipe you, you'll have no idea any of this even happened."

"If I may say so sir, I don't really find that terribly comforting."

* * *

Han hated to admit it, but the plan made him nervous too. Once they left Threepio at the droid shop, they would have no idea if he had been successful until Artoo confirmed his presence in the mansion. And once Artoo did that, they would be unable to have any further contact with him until they met face-to-face - or whatever the astromech equivalent of face-to-face was. Time was too short. As soon as they received confirmation from Artoo that Threepio was in place, they would have to dismantle all the equipment in Han's room and shove it down the recycling chute, before checking out of the hotel and returning to the Cloud Rider to leave the planet.

That was, of course, after a brief stop at the warehouse to pick up the cargo compartment, which was now empty, as Lando had given out all of his tibanna samples. And all they could do was hope that Artoo would be able to upload Threepio's memory to him, Artoo's slices would hold, and Threepio and Artoo would be able to safely extract Leia from the mansion and meet them back at the warehouse. It was a lot of responsibility to lay on two droids, but Han knew they were no ordinary droids, and he could only hope that was enough.

And then there was Leia. Artoo had confirmed that she had been held strictly alone since arriving at the mansion, with no contact with the outside world. Her only visitor had been Starkiller, and he an infrequent one. It had been eight months since the destruction of the Death Star. No wonder she had looked so sad in the holo. He had heard of prisoners left in solitary confinement for less time than that going completely insane from the experience. Artoo had been able to access recent security cam footage, and claimed she appeared sane enough, but Han knew, whatever Artoo's talents, he was not qualified to make psychological judgements. He could only hope she would at least be capable of escaping. They would have to deal with any other problems when they came to them.


	7. The Force of Others: Part 3

**THREE**

C-3PO looked disdainfully at the little blue astromech blocking his way. "Excuse me, R2 unit," he said. "You are obstructing my path, and I have duties to perform. Please remove yourself."

The R2 unit tweeted at him, in a rather impolite manner, and C-3PO was shocked. "I beg your pardon! That is not the kind of language I would expect to hear from such as you. Please report for reprogramming immediately." But the droid did not obey. In fact, his language became, if anything, coarser. He seemed to be insisting that they knew each other, which C-3PO knew was completely untrue.

"It is impossible that we should know each other," he told the astromech. "I have only recently arrived from Lanoorez Droid Dealers, while you, by the looks of your casing, have been here quite some time. Now please, remove yourself from my path and report to the workshop. I think you may have something seriously wrong with you."

More beepings and tweetings. Infuriating. "I am sure that whatever you wish to show me can be of no interest whatsoever. I have a job to do, and I am very busy - "

The little droid did not appear to be listening. It activated its holoprojector, and C-3PO watched in amazement as it projected an image of … himself, it seemed to be. The image spoke.

"Greetings, See-Threepio," it said. "You may find this hard to believe, I myself can often hardly credit it, but, well …" he glanced at something off-screen before resuming. "Sorry, Captain Solo. I understand." He turned back to the camera. "There is not much time. You must trust this astromech droid. His name is Artoo-Detoo, and yes, we are friends. He has a memory module which you must allow him to upload to you. The fate of the galaxy depends on it. Please believe me."

The holo winked out. C-3PO looked from the empty air where it had been to the astromech's photoreceptor. "How did you do that?" he asked quietly.

Artoo made a rude noise at his friend, and extended a data arm, asking Threepio to just let him upload the module, and then he would understand.

"The fate of the galaxy depends on it …?" Threepio murmured. "On me?"

More beeps.

"Rescue the princess? Rescue her from what? Oh, yes, of course, it's all in the module. But why should I trust you? Yes, I know that looked like me, but how am I supposed to know if this isn't some kind of trick? How do I know you aren't some agent of the Rebellion come to kidnap the princess? What? I can assure I am _not_ an agent of the Rebellion myself! I am See-Threepio, human-cyborg relations. I am here to do my job …"

Artoo gave the astromech equivalent of a sigh, and extended another probe. A jolt of electricity hit Threepio, who fell to the ground with a clang. If Artoo could have winced, he would have, but luckily no-one was around. He approached Threepio's prone body, and unlocked the memory access on the back of his head.

Moments later, Threepio reactivated, babbling like a lunatic. "Bleeeeeeee - notanagentoftheRebellion - wait! What are you doing? I … job, which is to look after Lord Vader's guest … What? Who? Oh, no! Princess Leia!"

Artoo made a derisive noise, and Threepio thumped his dome. "Don't you give me 'that's more like it' - you shot me, you little - "

Artoo made a noise very like a giggle.

* * *

Leia sat with her datapad, revising yet again her notes on the procedure for making a lightsaber. It had been a couple of weeks since she had seen Yoda, and without the Jedi master's support, she was finding it difficult to keep her spirits up. She had not seen Luke since she had told him she was waiting for things to change, and he had gotten angry. He was angry most of the time now, it seemed. And he felt more like Vader every time she saw him. What if Yoda was wrong? What if she didn't get out of here? How could she save him then? She tried to put such thoughts out of her mind, but it was hard, and getting harder by the day. She didn't want to fall back into despair again, but sometimes it seemed inevitable.

The door opened, and a protocol droid came in, carrying a tray.

"Your lunch, Ma'am," he said.

Leia sighed. "Just leave it on the table."

The droid put the tray where she asked, but then approached her, bowing low. "Mistress Leia, it is so good to see you well. At least, as well as could be expected," he added, noting the shadows under her eyes.

She frowned. It took a moment to sink in, and then: "_Threepio?_"

He bowed again. "Yes, Mistress Leia, it is I."

Tears rose to her eyes as she hugged the droid. "Threepio! I don't believe it! How did you find me? Who sent you?"

A familiar beeping came from the hallway, and seconds later R2-D2 glided into the room. "There was considerable danger," Threepio told her. "I replaced one of your regular droids, having to undergo a memory wipe in order to do so. Artoo here waylaid me after my arrival and restored my memory. I can assure you there is a detailed plan. We are here to rescue you."

It was the most bizarre thing Leia had ever heard. She collapsed into giggles.

Threepio turned to Artoo. "Oh dear. Are you sure the Princess is entirely stable, Artoo?"

A derisive beep.

"Of course I am aware of her ordeal. I merely wondered whether she may have suffered greater damage than we anticipated."

Leia managed to control herself. "Threepio, Artoo, I'm fine. I'm just so happy to see you! But who sent you?"

"Why, Captain Solo, of course."

She swayed, had to catch Threepio's arm to support herself. "Han? He's alive? Where is he?"

"Please, Mistress Leia. Be patient. We are going to take you to him."

"How?"

"Artoo has already disrupted the surveillance cameras. He has also disabled the security settings on a speeder in the hangar, and pre-programmed the co-ordinates for our rendezvous with Captain Solo and Baron Calrissian."

"Calrissian?"

"Yes. You remember Baron Lando Calrissian, from Bespin?"

"Of course. But how did _he_ get involved in all this?"

"Please, Mistress Leia, there is no time for detailed explanations. I am sure they can fully apprise you of the situation when we reach the rendezvous. For now, we must get to the hangar. Artoo has arranged a security alert at the opposite end of the palace, so we should encounter little droid presence."

She looked from Threepio to Artoo. "Thanks, guys. I never realised you two were so resourceful."

She paused only to pick up her datapad, and then took a deep breath. _Finally. _Finally she could do something, take some action. Take back control of her destiny.

"Okay, let's go."

At the main door out of her quarters, she paused, reaching out lightly in the Force - just enough to detect any presences in the corridor, not enough to set up any stirrings that Luke or Vader would be able to feel.

"We're clear," she confirmed. "Artoo, lead the way."

The droids were as good as their word, and they reached the hangar level without any trouble. Leia had wished for a moment they had been able to bring her a weapon, but quickly realised she didn't need one. It was the work of a moment to use the Force to trip a droid's circuit breaker, or create a noise at the other end of the corridor to encourage them to go and investigate. Of the humanoid security force, there was no sign.

The hangar was empty, with only a couple of empty speeders standing idle. Artoo led them to the one he had prepared, and plugged into the data socket as Threepio took the controls.

"How far do we have to go?" she asked Threepio, as the speeder left the hangar.

"The journey should take around an hour, Mistress Leia," the droid replied. "I suggest you just relax for now."

"How long before they're likely to realise I'm gone?"

Threepio translated the smaller droid's beeps. "Artoo says he has set the security cam in your lounge to repeat yesterday's footage. Unless anyone checks in person, they should not realise until it is time for your evening meal."

"I'm impressed. That was possibly the smoothest rescue I've ever experienced."

"Thank you, your highness. But may I say that we are very sorry we were not able to free you earlier. If we had known … well, that you were alive, we would have been searching sooner. Captain Solo was quite distraught when we believed you were dead, and I myself missed you very much."

Leia wasn't looking at him. Her gaze was on the viewport, but she was seeing nothing, lost in her own thoughts. "I didn't even know …" she whispered. "You could have all died on Endor. I would never have known for sure …" She blinked. "Is Chewie okay? What about Wedge? Mon Mothma? Admiral Ackbar?"

"Yes, Mistress Leia, they are all alive and well," Threepio told her quickly, hoping to stop her before she embarked on a very long list of everyone she knew in the Alliance. "But please, do not excite yourself. I'm sure Captain Solo and Baron Calrissian will be able to give you much better information than I can."

"Yes … yes, you're right. I can't believe you came for me. How much further do we have to go?"

Artoo made a noise which sounded very much like a snort, and Threepio shot him a look before replying. "I'm sorry, Mistress Leia, we are barely a quarter of the way there yet. Please try to be patient. We do not wish to contravene any traffic regulations or attract attention from any law enforcement officials."

"Of course, yes." She sat still for maybe two minutes, before suddenly looking around suspiciously. "Are we being followed?"

"Artoo can find nothing in the traffic patterns to suggest any pursuit, Ma'am. Please remain calm."

She shook herself. "I'm sorry, Threepio. You must think I'm nuts. I'm not used … I'm not even used to seeing a speeder up close more than a couple of times a week, if that. This is freaking me out a little."

"If you prefer, I can set the viewports to opaque …?"

She thought about it, but quickly decided against it. She was going to have to get used to being back in the real world, and while Coruscant was something of a baptism of fire, she decided that if she could handle the busiest planet in the galaxy, she could handle anything. So she told Threepio to leave the viewports as they were, and concentrated on calming herself as best she could without using the Force.

It was working, until Threepio informed her they were nearing the warehouse where they were due to rendezvous with Han and Lando, and then suddenly her nervousness returned a hundred times more strongly. She fought again to calm herself as they flew into the warehouse and Artoo landed the speeder.

The warehouse was quiet, empty of living beings, but she felt no threat or danger. As Artoo popped the speeder's canopy, she jumped to the ground. Her heart was pounding, her hands shaking.

"Where are they, Threepio?"

"I am sorry, Mistress Leia, I do not know. Our instructions were to bring you here, that was all."

She looked around again. _Where are you? Han?_

A blast door at the far end of the room slowly began to open. "Oh, my!" Threepio exclaimed. She began to walk toward the door, slowly.

"Mistress Leia, please be careful!" Threepio cautioned her, but she still felt no threat.

As the door raised, she could see the base of a cargo transporter, and the feet of its passengers. The driver wore shiny, expensive boots. The other passenger's boots were more beat up, looked familiar, and as the door rose higher she recognised the Corellian bloodstripe on his trousers.

She broke into a run. She didn't need the Force to know it was him, but she reached out anyway, savouring his familiar presence. "Han!" she called, and saw the legs move as he jumped down from the transport. He ducked under the too-slow door, running toward her.

She was in his arms seconds later, stumbling into a clumsy, desperate embrace. She could only say his name, that was all she could do. She couldn't think, she couldn't even focus on his face, it didn't seem real. Then his lips landed on hers, and everything slowed down. Even her heart seemed to stop. Moments passed in silence. They seemed to have slipped into another dimension of spacetime where nothing existed, nothing had ever existed, or would ever exist, apart from this kiss. It lasted an eternity. Then the universe restarted. Han took her face in his hands, looked deep into her eyes. "I thought you were dead," he whispered. "I thought I'd killed you."

"I didn't even know if you were alive," she told him, her voice trembling. "I thought I'd never see you again."

They kissed again, their bodies pressed so tightly together they could feel the other's heartbeat. So much joy was almost painful.

"Uh … guys?" Lando hovered a little way off, reluctant to break up such a moment, intimidated by the amount of emotion they were radiating. But it had to be done.

"Guys … ? We really need to get out of here. Seriously."

Leia snapped back into reality. He was right. She'd completely forgotten herself, and the Force. The way she was feeling, she was broadcasting like a homing beacon, and even if Vader and Starkiller were on the other side of the planet, they'd feel it, and they'd be able to track her.

She tried to close down her feelings, but it was hard, so hard when she was pressed up against his chest like this. She moved back slightly, holding his hands, looking up at Lando.

"Hello, Lando," she said, suddenly breaking into a smile at his embarrassment. "It's good to see you again. You have an escape plan?"

"I do indeed," he smiled back. "Unfortunately, it means shutting you in a cargo compartment for a while."

She grinned. "I can handle that." Looking up at Han, she added quietly, "I can handle anything right now."

* * *

"The fact is, my lord, there no longer _is_ a Rebellion. We no longer need - "

Starkiller cut Rampany off impatiently. "The fact is, there will _always_ be a Rebellion. Whether organised or not, there are still people out there who do not support us, and we cannot ignore that. That is why we had to suppress the Meridian sector, and that is why we need to maintain a strong military presence in all the local systems. If they - " He stopped, suddenly. Something was not right. Something was very much not right. Leia had just lit up like a supernova in the Force, broadcasting massive amounts of joy and excitement, and then just as quickly, she had shut it down. What could possibly be happening to make her feel like that? Whatever it was, it could not be good news for him.

He left the conference room without another word, pulling out his secure comlink as he went, calling up the security office at the mansion retreat. "Commander Venn - I need you to check on my sister, right now. Do it _personally_."

"My lord … you said she was to have no human contact …?"

"Do as I say, Commander, right now. It may already be too late."

"Yes, my lord."

He waited impatiently for Commander Venn to complete his check and get back to him, pacing up and down the small anteroom. When his comlink finally buzzed, he snatched it off his belt. "Yes?"

"I'm sorry, my lord … it seems your sister has … gone."

"Escaped? How?"

"I … I'm afraid I don't know, sir. I will, of course, conduct a thorough investigation, and then …"

"I'm coming over there, right now. You'd better have some leads by the time I arrive."

"Yes, my lord."

He returned to the conference room. "So much for the Rebellion being finished," he told the advisors. "I have reason to believe my own sister has just been kidnapped by Rebels. Perhaps this will convince you of my argument."

The advisors began to speak, all at once, but he didn't have time to listen to even one of them. He raised a hand, silencing them instantly. "I need to go," he told them. "I will return tomorrow."

As he left, he called Vader. "Did you feel it, Father?"

"Yes. I was about to contact you."

"She's gone. I don't know where, or how. But obviously, the Rebels have her. Call a security alert. And meet me at the retreat."

* * *

Han and Lando were running the preflight checks when a broadcast message came through from Traffic Control.

"_All ships, please be aware we are currently experiencing long delays due to enhanced security measures made necessary by suspected terrorist activity. All ships will have to be physically searched before they can be cleared to leave. Your departure will be delayed by several hours at least. Anyone who can postpone their journey until tomorrow is advised to do so. In the meantime, please be patient. Security teams will get to you as soon as they can. Thank you for your co-operation."_

Han glared at the comm. "This is not good news."

Lando nodded grimly. "I guess our Imperial friends have realised they're missing something. Don't worry, that compartment is as sound as it can be."

"I hope so."

Lando keyed the comm for his usual Traffic Control team. "Hey, Control, what's going on up there?"

"Afternoon, Calrissian." The officer sounded harassed. "Security alert. Got a message from the Imperial Palace a couple of hours ago. Something about an escaped prisoner, or something. I didn't even know they had prisoners in the Palace."

"Guess you learn something new every day," Lando drawled. "Any idea how long we're going to be stuck here? I was hoping to get home for breakfast."

Control laughed. "You still only got the one compartment on there?"

"Yeah. And it's empty now too. Does that mean I can go?"

Another laugh. "Not so fast. You still have to be boarded, everybody does. But I can bump you up the list since you'll be a quick job. Shouldn't be much longer than a couple of hours wait."

"That's great, Control. I owe you one."

"You can remember me in your will. Just sit tight for now, okay? I'll call you when the squad's on their way."

"Acknowledged." He flipped off the comm, and turned to Han. "Couple of hours. You think she'll be okay in there?"

Han nodded. "She's a Jedi, there's all kinds of tricks they can do, trances and stuff. She'll be fine." He tried to sound like he wasn't trying to convince himself as well as Lando, and he almost succeeded.

Leia could tell something was up, even locked in a shielded hidden compartment. She could feel the turmoil in the Force that went along with a sudden mobilisation, and it didn't take her long to realise it must mean they'd noticed her escape. She knew it was her own fault. If she'd had better control of herself back in the warehouse, this wouldn't be happening. Still, there was nothing she could do about it now, other than hope they weren't delayed too long, and wait for the ship to make it off the planet and safely into hyperspace. And she could do that, at least. She was getting quite good at waiting these days.

She had no idea how much time had passed when she finally heard muffled voices, and the noise of the main door to the cargo compartment opening. She heard Lando, and what sounded like a stormtrooper, but couldn't make out the words. She held her breath. A stormtrooper, it had to be, she recognised the metallic footsteps, was walking around the compartment, probably scanning it. A second set of footsteps joined the first, also walking around the empty box, tapping on the walls. She forced herself to remain calm, breathing deeply despite the pounding of her heart against her ribs.

Then she heard it: "All clear." The trooper was right in front of her. She exhaled slowly in relief as his footsteps receded and she heard the door to the main compartment close and lock.

Then finally, she allowed herself to relax. They were practically home and dry now, all she had to do was keep a lid on her presence in the Force until they made the jump to lightspeed. She tried to rest, knowing that would take a few hours yet, but she just couldn't. Han was barely a few metres away. After all this time, so close she could almost touch him. She had to stop herself reaching out in the Force just to touch his presence, just to confirm he was still there. Not yet, she kept telling herself. Soon._ Soon …_

_

* * *

_

Commander Venn shifted uncomfortably in his chair. Being watched by Lord Starkiller and Lord Vader did not make it easy to do your job. Especially when you knew that you were responsible for allowing their prized prisoner to escape. "I'm sorry, my lords," he said again.

Starkiller slammed his hand on the console, making Venn jump. "Stop apologising, and tell me something useful, Venn. Have you found the real cam footage yet?"

"No, sir," he said. "Whoever did this was very good."

"Of course they were," Starkiller said.

Venn shivered. He was not expecting to get out of this one alive, but his one desperate hope was that he could discover something useful enough that Starkiller and Vader may be distracted long enough to forget about killing him. He had to think. There had to be something …

Vader and Starkiller moved away from his console, talking quietly. "How is it possible?" Starkiller murmured. "She must have had help. She couldn't do all this alone."

"Perhaps the help was not human," Vader suggested. "Maybe a droid?"

Starkiller raised his voice. "Venn. Did any new droids arrive at the mansion recently?"

"Well, yes, sir. We had the usual new batch of protocol droids yesterday."

"Anything else?" The Commander hesitated. "Check the records," Starkiller told him. "And check that all the protocol droids are still here."

"Yes, sir."

Venn turned back to the console, trying to concentrate, not be distracted by the ominous presence of the two Dark Lords. It took some time, but eventually he discovered something.

"My lords," he said. "You're right. One of the new protocol droids is missing, but there's something else. It seems a few days ago, an astromech was ordered from Lanoorez. The requisition looks perfect, but there's no other references to this order in the system - nobody wanted an astromech, nobody filled out a request to order one … it was just ordered."

Starkiller came back to the console. "That's it," he said. "What did the droid do once it got here?"

"I'll just check …" Venn hit some keys, waited a moment. "Sir … it will take some time to get the full details, but the droid had achieved top level security clearance within two days."

Starkiller's posture stiffened. "I knew it," he snarled. "I _knew_ it." He rushed out of the room, leaving Vader behind.

Vader looked at Venn. "Continue with your investigations, Commander," he said. "I want full details of everything that droid did, and an image of it if you can find one. Also, feed images of the speeder they left on to the traffic control systems. Find out where it went. Send all your reports directly to me. No-one else. Is that clear?"

"And Lord Starkiller …?"

"To me only, Commander. Is that clear?"

"Yes, my lord."

* * *

When she finally heard the compartment open again, Leia's heart leapt. She'd fallen into a light trance, and not noticed the jump to hyperspace. She heard footsteps, and then a soft tapping on the door to her hidden compartment. "Leia?"

"Han! Come on, get me out of here!"

She heard his wry chuckle as he keyed the remote, and the door slid open.

"What are you laughing about?" she demanded.

He smiled again. "I don't know, I thought you might be sleeping or something, didn't want to startle you by just opening the door without warning you first. Forgot about the Jedi stuff."

She stepped forward, into his arms, smiling back at him. "I can't believe …" she paused for a second, then a gleam of mischief woke in her eyes. "I can't believe it took you so long to find me," she finished.

He almost fell for it. For a split second, a look of outrage flashed across his face, then was replaced by his familiar crooked smile. "Just wanted to make sure you had time to miss me," he said.

She grinned, then slowly grew serious again. Her eyes locked on his for a moment, then she kissed him, slowly, passionately, tangling her fingers in his hair as he drew her closer to him. He slipped a hand up under her shirt, laid his palm flat on the skin of her back. She gasped, letting her lips fall from his. "I never thought I'd feel this again," she whispered. He bent his head, kissing her neck, supporting her head with his other hand as she allowed it to fall back. "I love you, Leia," he whispered against her throat.

An inarticulate moan broke from her lips, followed by his name. It was the most wonderful thing Han had ever heard.

* * *

_Welcome to Holonet News. I'm Sasugi Lindstub, and I'm joined by Prime Councillor Lord Starkiller. My lord, I understand you've had some devastating news._

"_Yes. My sister, my only sibling, has been kidnapped, I think by Rebels."_

_Forgive me, but I didn't even know you had a sister._

"_Not many people did. Our parents are dead, so I've always looked after her. When I settled on Coruscant, Lord Vader kindly arranged for her to be brought here so I could continue to take care of her. Her location was kept secret, for obvious reasons. That's why I'm convinced it must be Rebels who took her."_

_I'm so sorry. What's her name?_

"_Her first name is Lehya. I won't tell you our family name, my security has been compromised enough already."_

_I understand. Do you have a holo of her? I'm sure people will be keen to keep their eyes open, just in case._

He held up a holo, showing a young, dark-haired, dark-eyed woman. Her hair was long, tied simply back off her face, and her dress was casual. She was beautiful, but her eyes were immensely sad.

Sasugi had tears in her eyes as she looked at the image.

_I'm so sorry, my lord. I hope you find her soon. Do you have any leads?_

"_Sketchy at best, at the moment, but Lord Vader's working on it. He has taken charge of the investigation personally."_

_Well, let's all hope he is successful very soon, then. Thank you for speaking to us, my lord. Viewers, if you have any information, if you have seen anything at all suspicious, please be sure to contact your local law enforcement officials with all haste. We all have our part to play in the fight against terrorism._

_

* * *

_

Once they were safely away from Coruscant and in hyperspace, the three of them gathered around a table in the _Cloud Rider_'slounge. Lando prepared some food, as none of them had eaten since that morning, and then they talked for hours. Han and Lando filled Leia in on what she had missed over the last eight months, and she brought them up to speed on what had happened with Starkiller and Vader and what she knew of their plans for the galaxy.

After that, they all went to get some sleep, but Leia and Han continued talking some time longer, about Luke, and where it had all gone wrong.

"It's partly my fault," Leia told him sadly. "I should have realised how vulnerable he would be. I didn't get how attached he was to the idea of knowing his real father. I underestimated how much of a hold over him it would give Vader. We really made a complete mess of things on the Death Star." She paused, remembering again the despair she'd felt when she woke in her cell on the _Executor_: when she'd realised how badly wrong it had all gone, and how much they had lost. "For a long time I wished Luke had left me to die. If he hadn't saved my life, maybe he wouldn't have turned …"

Han's heart turned over as he remembered how he'd felt when he'd thought she was dead. "I thought I'd lost you," he told her softly. "I thought I'd lost you both. I blamed myself …"

Leia lifted her head from his shoulder to look up, into his eyes. "You shouldn't have done that," she told him. "It was our choice to go to them. Even if we had died, it wouldn't have been your fault, and I don't want you to be unhappy because of something I've done. Don't do it again."

He closed his eyes, not wanting to remember any more of that time. "It's past now," he said gently, and kissed her. She drew closer, pressing up against him. Her body was warm. He still couldn't quite believe this was all real, that Leia was alive, here, in his arms. What if it was all a dream? He still half-expected to wake up at any moment, to find himself back on the _Falcon_ on the way to the Alliance rendezvous, lost and alone.

He shivered involuntarily. Leia lifted her head from his shoulder, looked at him. "What is it?" she asked softly.

"Nothing," he whispered. "I don't know … is this real? Are you sure?"

Leia rested her cheek against his. "It's real, Han," she whispered. "I missed you so much. But when I dreamed about you, it wasn't like this."

He suddenly smiled. "Was better, huh?" he teased, catching her earlobe in his teeth.

She squirmed away from him, laughing. "There was less … talking, that's for sure."

He pulled her back closer to him, smiling deep into her eyes. "Shush, then," he whispered.

* * *

When she woke in his arms the next morning, it took her a moment to remember where she was, what had happened. She shivered as she remembered where she'd been when she awoke the day before, and how she'd felt. But then Han stirred in his sleep, pulling her closer into his embrace, and she smiled again. Yoda had been right: she had not been forgotten, she had not been abandoned. And now she was definitely no longer alone.

But she knew that wasn't the end. It only meant the waiting was over. This was only the beginning of the hard part, where she would have to begin working toward what Yoda had described as her ultimate goal: to destroy Starkiller, and return the galaxy to the people.

After so long in isolation, it was daunting, finally having something to do, something concrete to work toward. But she knew what her first steps were, at least: she had to begin building a new lightsaber, and then later, return to what remained of the Alliance and share her knowledge of Starkiller and Vader with them. What they could do with that information, and how she would actually achieve her ultimate goals, she did not yet know. But she was ready to start. She was ready to do what had to be done.

* * *

Starkiller was still furious. How dare they? How dare they take Leia? From right under his nose. With his own droids. Artoo and Threepio. It was obvious what had happened now: someone had tracked him down to the mansion retreat - and he'd _known_ that, he'd felt them watching him the last time he was there - and they'd sent his droids in there to snatch her. But who? His mind immediately jumped to Han Solo, but the Alliance records his spies had obtained had said he was dead. Records could be faked, but in any case this plan didn't bear Solo's stamp. It was too clever. Han would have charged in there all guns blazing, he wouldn't have been this careful. Unless it was her idea … she had known about it, that was for sure - that was what that conversation was all about, the last time he had visited her. Waiting. This was what she had been waiting for. But how had she known?

He paced up and down his office, fuming and cursing. When he found out who was responsible for this, he would kill them. Han Solo, or whoever it was. They would die.

He spun round as he heard the door open. "What?" he snapped. A secretary stood there, fidgeting nervously. "Lord Vader would like to see you, my lord."

"Send him in." He resumed his pacing until Vader swept into the room. Starkiller didn't even greet him. "What is it? Do you have something?" he demanded.

"A possibility. The speeder that left the mansion has been traced to a warehouse complex. The occupants were not seen, nor were they seen leaving the warehouse. However, several users of that complex left Coruscant that day or the day after."

"Did any manage to leave before we enhanced security?"

"No, though it is possible they had shielded compartments on their ship, and could have evaded detection by our search teams. We already know Leia has smuggling connections."

"Yes," Starkiller agreed darkly. "We do." He shook his head. "I'll kill them, even if it is Han. I will hunt them down and I will kill them myself."

"Perhaps that would not be the wisest course of action for the Prime Councillor." He did not flinch as Starkiller stepped toward him threateningly. "Such pursuits are not your role any more," he reminded him. "Did the Emperor chase around the galaxy personally hunting down his enemies? No, he did not. And neither will you. You will remain here and fulfil your duties, while I conduct this search. I have a list of all the ships served by that warehouse that left Coruscant over the two days following Leia's escape -"

"Kidnap," Starkiller interrupted.

Vader shrugged. "Call it that if you wish. As I was saying, I have a list of the relevant ships, and their destinations. I will begin there."

"You need to find the Rebels," Starkiller insisted. "That is where she will be."

"I agree. But they will not be easy to find. They could be anywhere, while her trail is not yet cold. Perhaps she will lead me to them, and then I can deal with both threats at the same time."

Starkiller raised a fist. "You will not kill her. You will return her to me. I will deal with her."

* * *

Vader inclined his head. "Very well."

Han watched as Leia picked through the piles of trash and electronic components waiting to be recycled in Cloud City's junk room. Several Ugnaughts were fussing around her, while C-3PO was attempting to explain, for the umpteenth time, that she was not trying to sabotage anything, or impede their work, and she would be finished soon. Lando entered the room behind him, and he looked around to greet his friend.

"What's going on?" Lando asked, bemused. "I got a call saying there was a crazy woman picking through my garbage. I didn't think it would actually be true."

Han laughed. "She's looking for lightsaber parts. They make those things from all kinds of junk, you know."

Lando rolled his eyes. "Jedi."

"Yeah."

Hearing their voices, Leia looked up, brushing damp hair away from her face. She was quite close to the furnace. "Lando, hi," she greeted him. "Sorry about the disruption, I won't be long. I just really need to get started on building my saber."

"It's okay, Leia," he smiled. "Take as much as you need." He turned to the supervisor. "Leave her alone, and she'll be done all the quicker. She has my full permission to take whatever she wants. No, it won't affect your bonus."

He turned back to Han. "Running a business can be so stressful sometimes," he smiled, then he led the other man away, out of Leia's earshot. He lowered his voice. "I just received word that the Empire is tracking down every ship that left Coruscant since she went missing. It's a good bet they'll be coming here."

Han nodded. "We'd better be on our way then. You want to come with us? Stay out of the way for a while until the dust settles? I know you'll check out as legitimate, but it might arouse suspicion if your pilot isn't around any more."

Lando frowned. "I don't know. That story I told about my regular guy getting married might hold … say he decided to take his position back, then I dismissed Jevonak … No, it's okay. I wouldn't feel right just leaving the guys here to take all the heat."

"Okay. Well, thanks for all your help. I don't know if I'll ever be able to repay you …"

"Hey, when I need a favour, I'll know where to come," Lando grinned. "Dinner and a Sabacc game tonight? Allow me to enjoy the lovely Leia's company for a few more hours before you clear out?"

He smiled. "Sure, why not?"

* * *

They left on the _Falcon_ early the next morning, headed for Kashyyyk. Thanks to the Sabacc game, Han had a significantly increased credit line and Leia had a new diamond necklace, though no idea when she'd ever be able to wear it. She had been toying with the idea of removing some of the gemstones to use in her lightsaber, but had not seriously considered it yet. She was still a long way away from fitting the crystals, and diamonds were not ideal for the purpose, besides which, it seemed a shame to destroy something so beautiful. And who knew? Maybe at some point in the future she would find herself in a position where she would have excuses to wear extravagant and expensive jewellery again.

They arrived on the Wookiee planet in the early morning, and Chewbacca was waiting for them at the spaceport when they disembarked. His first act was to sweep Leia up in a bone-crushing hug, making her laugh breathlessly and then beg him to put her down. He growled excitedly, speaking almost too quickly for her to follow, but she managed to figure out he was telling her how happy he was to see her alive, how much he had missed her, how shocked he had been when Han had told him she wasn't dead, and how Han had almost lost his mind when he thought she was. He then moved on to hug Han just as tightly, before inviting them to come with him to his home.

Han draped his arm around Leia's shoulders as they walked, and she smiled up at him, slipping her arm around his waist. The universe still held a sense of unreality for both of them at the moment. After so long apart, and after such uncertainty about the other's fate, they were both simply glad to be together again: so glad that they had not had even a minor squabble yet. It couldn't last, but for now, it was nice. It was a sunny morning, as almost all mornings were on Kashyyyk; the weather was warm, the air was fresh, and it was hard to believe that they were wanted fugitives.

Leia called to Chewie who was walking ahead, asking him whether things had changed here after the death of the Emperor. The Wookiee growled back, gesturing and shaking his head, telling her that the Imperials seemed to be keeping a fairly low profile at the moment. There had been no recent mass enslavements, though that could just be due to the fact that there were no superweapons in development at the moment.

Reaching Chewie's family home, they were greeted enthusiastically by his family, who were all fond of Han and glad to see him again. Chewie's father, Itchy, went immediately to greet Leia, shaking her hand enthusiastically and telling her how happy and fascinated he was to finally meet Han's life-partner. Leia blushed, smiling shyly as Han grabbed the old Wookiee's arm, steering him away from her. "Steady now, pops," he told him with a wink. "You'll scare her off, and I only just found her again."

Chewie's wife Malla playfully slapped Itchy on the shoulder, and invited them to sit down, offering them drinks. Remembering what Han had once told her about the high sugar content of Wookiee drinks, Leia joined him in opting for a plain fruit juice.

Lumpy, Chewie's young son, was fascinated by Threepio, growling and barking innumerable questions at the golden droid, and insisting on giving him a tour of the house. Chewie laughed at his son, warning him not to damage the droid.

Threepio looked at him in shock. "Why, Chewbacca, I am sure young Master Lumpy would not attempt to cause me any harm … would you, Master Lumpy?" The young Wookiee growled a question. "No, you may not disassemble me to inspect my central processor! Chewbacca, please tell him - !" Chewie laughed again, and shook a finger at his son. Malla volunteered to supervise the boy, and the three of them left the room together.

Chewbacca patted Han on the back affectionately as he sat down, almost knocking him off his chair, and then asked what their plans were.

"We're going to head back to the Alliance, pal," Han told him. "I've proved what I set out to prove, now we just have to figure out what to do about it."

Chewie looked at Leia, yowling sympathetically. She smiled sadly. "Thanks, Chewie. I'm going to do everything I can to bring Luke back."

Chewbacca growled again, and Han looked at Leia. "Well … I guess we could stay for a couple of days …?"

She nodded. After so long, a couple more days away from the Alliance didn't seem like it would make much difference. "Are you coming back with us then?" she asked the Wookiee. "You don't have to … I mean, if you wanted to stay with your family … I know you've been away from them for a long time."

Chewie shook his head emphatically. His place was with Han, and if Han was with her, then he was with her too. How could she even think he would leave them while they needed him?

She smiled. "Thank you. I appreciate it." She looked at Han. "That goes for you as well though, you know. I owe you so much. But if you've had enough of the Rebellion …"

He reached across the table to take her hand. "You crazy woman," he said. "I'm not letting you out of my sight again. From now on I go where you go. Clear?"

Leia smiled into his eyes. "Clear."

* * *

The Senate was in uproar. Lord Starkiller had just announced wide-ranging reforms to galactic security, so harsh that many thought them worse than martial law.

Senator Chii from Chandrila was speaking. "It seems to me, and to many of us, I believe, that these measures are nothing more than a knee-jerk overreaction on the Prime Councillor's part to the kidnap of his sister. They serve little to enhance security, rather they act merely to curb the freedoms of law-abiding individuals."

Starkiller slammed his fist on the podium. "Law-abiding individuals have nothing to fear from these measures. Certainly, they may mean some slight inconvenience, but the benefits far outweigh that."

"_Slight_ inconvenience? Not only will these measures severely delay any form of travel, they will also serve to disrupt trade and commerce throughout the galaxy, and only encourage illegal activity such as smuggling. That's before we even start on the effects on occupants of this very planet."

"If you're concerned about the effect on your visits to the underworld, Senator, then may I suggest you find some less insalubrious ways of passing your time?"

"What?!" the senator exclaimed, but his pod was already returning to its station on the wall. "Let me speak!" he shouted, but his microphone had been cut at the same time as Starkiller unrecognised his pod, and it was useless.

The senator from Anaxes had the floor now. "I strongly disagree with Senator Chii," she said. "Surely safety is paramount above all. And as always, if an individual is committing no crime, they have no reason to fear the forces of order."

"Thank you, Senator," Starkiller said. "I am glad that some people at least still understand that."

Another pod moved forward. "But what of those who are wrongly suspected of crimes? They could simply be in the wrong place at the wrong time, and yet they could find themselves imprisoned. They could even be killed for resisting arrest, when the only reason for their resisting arrest could be their innocence!"

Starkiller dismissed the argument. "Anyone found to be innocent after arrest will be fully compensated for the time they spent in custody. But anyone who resists arrest must be assumed to be guilty of _something_, whether or not it is the crime they are currently accused of."

The senator was aghast. "I fear for this galaxy under your rule, Starkiller," he said. "I really do."

Starkiller glanced behind him, at Darth Vader. Vader felt his intention clearly. These two senators who had dared to oppose Starkiller would soon be senators no longer. They would quickly be found to be corrupt, or to have committed some crime that made them unfit for office. It would be clear that their own criminality was the only reason they opposed the new security measures. Once they had been dispensed with, their seats would be taken by new senators, sympathetic to the Empire. Soon, there would be no-one left to oppose them. Or at least, no-one who dared to openly do so.


	8. Fall of an Empire: Part 1

**EPISODE III:**

**FALL OF AN EMPIRE**

**ONE**

Leia was seated on the floor in Chewbacca's workshop, a wide array of electronic components and pieces of metal and plastic spread out around her. She seemed to be making something, or at least attempting to, but by some arcane means with which Chewie was unfamiliar. She would hold her hands out, palms down, over the items, her fingers moving slightly as if she was feeling for something in the air. Then she would pick up one piece, then another, and attempt to fit them together. Sometimes she would set the pieces aside, as if satisfied, and other times she would shake her head and return one or both of the pieces to the floor before repeating the process, between times referring to notes on her datapad.

Chewie could restrain his curiosity no longer. He growled a question, asking what she was doing.

Leia looked up. "I'm building a new lightsaber. It's difficult. Yoda gave me instructions, but it's more about trial and error, and … well, _feeling_ where everything needs to go. I think it's going to take a while."

The Wookiee yowled again.

"Yoda? He's a Jedi master … he taught Luke. He's dead now, but he visited me through the Force while I was imprisoned."

Chewie spoke again, asking about Yoda, whether he was a small green being, with big ears.

Leia looked quizzical. "Uh … yes, he is. Wait - do you know him?"

Chewie nodded, confirming that Yoda had been on Kashyyyk at the end of the Clone Wars, and that he and another Wookiee named Tarfful had helped him escape when his clone troopers had turned on him. Leia shook her head in amazement. "I had no idea." Then she smiled. "I don't suppose he told you any handy hints and tips for building lightsabers, did he?"

Chewie laughed, ruffling the princess's hair affectionately. He told her Yoda had unfortunately not shared with him any insights regarding lightsaber construction, though he had told him about the crystals.

"Really?"

He nodded, and told her how he had beenwalking with Yoda one day, when they came across a cave where many crystals were growing. Yoda had told him how Jedi use crystals to focus their lightsabers, and said those particular ones would make excellent saber crystals.

Leia stared at him, hardly able to believe her ears. _Sometimes, help is found in unexpected places. Perhaps from old friends with knowledge you never suspected._ That was one of the last things Yoda had told her. And here it was. She shook her head again, awed once more by the power of the Force. "Can you take me to this cave?"

Chewie barked an affirmative, telling her they could leave right away, but they would need to take the speeder. The area where they had found the cave was far from Rwookrrorro, near Kachirho, where most of the fighting during the Clone Wars had taken place. Leia jumped up, leaving the pieces of her lightsaber-to-be spread over the floor. "Let's go!"

As they travelled, Chewie told her more about the time he had spent with Yoda, how the Jedi master had come to Kashyyyk at the head of a clone army to defend the planet against Separatist forces, and how the clones had betrayed him at the order of the new Emperor. How Yoda had cut down the clones before they could carry out their order, and then how he and Tarfful had helped Yoda escape Kashyyyk in a small ship.

Leia nodded. "My father - Bail Organa - told me a little about that time. He picked Yoda up, after you helped him escape. Chewie, if it weren't for you, he might not have survived to train Luke. Things would be so different now …"

Chewie shrugged, growling that hejust happened to be there, and any Wookiee would have helped Yoda as he did. He was a great warrior.

She nodded again. "He saved my sanity, too. Until he came to me, I was going crazy locked up in the mansion."

Chewie angled the speeder toward the ground, indicating an area where the foothills of a mountain rose from the plain. He couldn't remember the exact location of the cave, but knew it was along there somewhere. He guessed they would just have to land nearby and then search for it.

Once they landed, however, Leia realised the search would not be a long one. Even without trying, she could feel the crystals burning brightly in the Force. It was like they were calling to her. She smiled again, thinking of Yoda. Had he somehow known - that she would come to Kashyyyk, that she knew Chewbacca? He must be incredibly strong in the Force. Perhaps that was the only reason he had told Chewbacca about the crystals all those years ago, because he had sensed his destiny would at some point in the future be entwined with that of someone who would need to know about them. It was awesome to think of it. "This way," she told Chewie. "I know where they are."

The Wookiee followed her, keeping all his senses alert as they walked. Leia was like a hunter scenting her prey, intent on her goal and oblivious to anything else. But that was all right, because Chewbacca was watching her back. He would never let her come to harm. He knew Han would never forgive him if he did. Actually, that was not quite true. Han trusted him to look after her, and Han would eventually accept, if something did happen, that Chewbacca had done everything he could to protect her. It was Chewie who would never forgive himself, just as he would never forgive himself if Han, to whom he owed a life debt, came to harm. He suddenly realised his life debt had grown. It now encompassed Leia, as well as Han. He growled, warning off the few predators - small and not so small - he'd scented following them. None of them were especially dangerous, but he wasn't going to even allow them to get close.

Leia stopped for a moment, closing her eyes and breathing slowly. "Yes …" she murmured. "It's close. This way."

Moments later, they were at the cave. Chewie blocked her way with one massive arm. He sniffed and listened at the cave entrance, then, finding no danger, told her to go ahead, he would stay on watch outside.

She touched his arm, thanking him, and started into the cave. The entrance tunnel widened out a few metres in, but it was dark, so she waited a few moments for her eyes to adjust before looking around properly. A pale glow off to her left drew her eyes, and she followed it to the wall. Near the ground there was a clump of aqua-coloured crystals. She crouched down to inspect them, suddenly feeling a little foolish: she'd brought no tools, how was she going to get the crystal out of the rock?

She could still feel them in the Force, like a light in a dark place, one in particular burning brighter than the others. She reached out to it. The moment her fingertips contacted the crystal, it fell right out of the rock. Surprised, she drew her hand back, catching her breath. Then she smiled. "Of course," she whispered. She picked up the crystal. It was perfect. "Thank you," she whispered, not sure who or what she was thanking. Maybe Yoda. Maybe the Force itself.

* * *

Lord Starkiller looked up from his datapad as Lord Vader entered the office, then gestured for him to take a seat.

"What do you have to report?" he asked. "Have Senators Chii and Iklodo been taken care of?"

Vader nodded. "Iklodo has been arrested for embezzlement, and is in custody. Chii has been unfortunately murdered, it is believed due to his inability to pay gambling debts owed to a Hutt. Preparations are underway to appoint their replacements."

Starkiller smiled behind his mask. "Excellent. And what of the search for my sister, have you made any progress there?"

"Unfortunately not," Vader told him. "The investigations into the ships which left Coruscant following her … kidnap … have proved fruitless. I have progressed to a more general search, dispatching probe droids to known Rebel-aligned worlds, former Rebel bases and uncharted habitable planets and moons. I would now like to take the _Executor_ and head out to the Outer Rim, so I am closer to the search areas and able to react immediately should any information be obtained."

"Hmm." Starkiller inclined his head. "It seems the most logical plan. But something about it bothers me."

Vader waited, but he said no more for a while. Then he finally seemed to come to a decision. "I'm no longer sure I should trust you in this matter, Father."

Vader evinced surprise. "Why? Have I given you any reason to doubt my loyalty?"

Starkiller seemed thoughtful. "Not as such, no. But something about this feels … wrong. I wonder if your intentions toward Leia are clear."

"They are clear, my son," Vader assured him. "Your orders are to return her to you undamaged, and if this is possible, I will do so."

"It _will_ be possible," Starkiller insisted. "If we allow her to remain free, she will destroy me. She will destroy everything we have fought and worked for. But I don't want her dead."

"What if that is the only way to stop her?"

"Find another way," he said. "I know you tried to kill her before. If you kill her, if anyone else with you kills her, if she dies by accident … if _any_ harm comes to her, you will die. I promise you that. I will kill you myself. Is that clear?"

Vader bowed his head. "It is completely clear, my son. You have my word: Leia will not be harmed."

* * *

They left Kashyyyk the next day. Leia knew Vader would track them down sooner or later, and staying on an Empire-controlled planet was just too risky. Lando had sent word that he'd been cleared of any suspicion of involvement in her "kidnap", which she was glad about. But for now, it was safer for her to stay away from any kind of civilisation while she concentrated on preparing for the inevitable confrontation.

They had contacted the Alliance to let them know what was happening, and Madine had sent a small team of commandoes, led by Page, to meet up with them. They'd taken refuge on Ealor, an abandoned Outer Rim world. Ealor had once been host to a civilisation, though it had died out long ago, no-one knew why, leaving behind only ruins and wilderness. But it was a comfortable enough place for them to make their temporary home.

Once they were settled, Leia had immediately resumed work on her lightsaber. Most days, Han and Chewie hardly saw her at all except at mealtimes. She was making progress on it, and it was finally beginning to look like something that could eventually become a lightsaber. But it was all she did. Han understood that it was important, but after a week of it, he was beginning to wonder if it was healthy for her to be so consumed by it. He wandered into the starboard hold, which she'd adopted as her workshop, and stood just inside the door, watching her work.

After a few moments, she looked around at him, amusement in her eyes. "Hello," she said, brushing loose hair out of her face. "What's up?"

Han shrugged. "Nothin'."

She smiled. "You're bored, huh? I'm sorry. It's my fault we're stuck here."

He came closer, sat down on the floor beside her. "No, it's okay," he told her. "I know we have to stay out of sight for a while, that's not a problem."

Leia reached up to touch his cheek. "Then what?"

He shook his head, smiling slightly, as he leaned in to kiss her. "It's late," he whispered. "Why not leave the work for tonight?"

She gave him a wistful smile, taking his hand and knitting his fingers with hers as she spoke. "Han … I don't know how much time we have … I don't know how long it'll be until Vader finds us. And I don't know how long this is going to take. I have to be ready …"

He nodded, sadly, wishing things were different, but understanding. "Okay, sweetheart." He kissed her fingers. "If I'm sleeping when you're done, feel free to wake me up." He winked at her, and she smiled that shy smile he loved.

Leia watched him as he left the hold. A large part of her wanted to go with him. While she was on Coruscant, she'd missed him so much, and now that she was back with him, she couldn't find the time to actually be with him. It seemed unfair, and yet she knew it was how it had to be. She knew time was short. She knew the danger was real. And she knew she had to be ready to meet it when it arrived. She had not used a lightsaber in over eight months, and she urgently needed to start training again. She stretched, loosening her tense shoulders, and then turned back to her work. Just another hour …

* * *

Han returned to the main hold, where Chewbacca was playing Dejarik against Page, and C-3PO was amusing himself - and irritating them - by giving a running commentary on the game.

Chewie growled as he entered the room, and Han shrugged. "I tried, pal, but she won't leave it. She's determined to get that lightsaber made as soon as possible."

Page looked from the Wookiee to Han. "Well, you know, if Vader does find us, I for one would rather have a fully-armed Jedi knight in the party than otherwise."

They both had to concede his point, though reluctantly. Han sighed, taking his seat in the console chair.

"I'm tired of all this waiting around," he mumbled.

* * *

Starkiller turned to the comm station. "Lord Vader, what do you have to report?"

"Nothing yet," the Dark Lord told him. "We have had reports from many of the probe droids we sent out, but none of them as yet have reported any signs of Rebel presence, or given me any clues to Leia's location. We will continue our patrol, and as soon as we have any information, I will pass it to you."

"Of course you will," Starkiller said, sounding sceptical. "I sense great conflict in you lately, Lord Vader. Are you still sure your feelings on this mission are clear?"

"They are perfectly clear," Vader insisted. "I will find Leia, and when I do, I will return her to Coruscant for you to deal with her. There is no reason for me to do otherwise."

"I will not tolerate her coming to any harm," Starkiller insisted. "You will do only what is necessary to bring her back to me. No more."

Vader inclined his head. "Your orders were clear, my lord. There is no need for you to restate them every time we speak."

"There is need when I sense your reluctance to follow them," he said. His voice was low, but it carried an undercurrent of threat which fed Vader's own anger.

"You are mistaken," he growled. "I will find your sister, and when I do, I will return her to you."

"Very well." He deactivated the comm, and Vader turned away from the holoprojector, clenching his fists. Starkiller was overstepping the mark more every day. He was becoming dangerous. Some day soon, Vader knew his son would turn on him. His anger faded as his sadness grew. This was not how he had intended it to be. This was not how it was _meant_ to be. They were meant to work together. They were meant to bring peace, not cause more conflict. The Force had told him … he shook his head. The Force had told him to work with Leia, that was what it had told him. He had been asking the wrong questions all along. He had asked who should rule the galaxy, and the Force had told him it did not matter … as long as Leia was involved. He had ignored that, thinking they could do just as well without her. But she was the key. She was the nexus around which it all revolved. He saw his mistake now, and it all became clear. Why he had hesitated to kill her. Why Luke couldn't let her go. Why he couldn't kill her now.

He would have to find her, and when he found her he would somehow have to convince her to put this right. Whatever the cost to himself. She was the only one in the galaxy who could. She was his last hope.

* * *

Leia closed her eyes, and hefted the saber hilt in both hands. She was almost there, she could feel it. It had been a strange process. Each piece she had added had increased the potential of the weapon, and at times she had had to stop working just so she could take it all in. It was almost frightening, feeling the power it held, and at times she wondered how she could have taken her old saber so lightly. Luke had made it for her, and she valued it for that, as she did any heartfelt gift; but beyond that, it was just another weapon, albeit a very good one. But this one was different: it was a part of her, in a way the other never could have been. She understood now why Yoda had told her the building of a lightsaber was the traditional last task of the trainee Jedi.

She was close, then, to becoming a real Jedi knight, for really the first time, and she hesitated. She wasn't sure she was ready. She wasn't sure she could trust herself with the power. All the doubts she had had when Luke had first asked her to train with him returned, and this time even more strongly. Last time, she had doubted herself because she was Vader's daughter. She didn't want to end up like him. Now she also had the example of Luke to add to that. And yet, if she refused this challenge, she would be giving the galaxy to the Sith as surely as if she had worked with them every step of the way.

It was time.

She opened her eyes, and reached for the crystal she'd found on Kashyyyk. It seemed to resonate in her hand, the infinitesimal vibration of its atoms aligning with her heartbeat. She took a deep breath, and fitted it into its chamber, fastening the hilt closed around it. The saber positively thrummed with potential now. She stood up, holding it out in front of her, and activated it. It sprang into life, the pale aqua blade dazzling in the dim light of the hold. She gazed into the light, and a vision came to her: she was standing with Darth Vader, _with_ him. They were not fighting, they were … _allies_. They were working together for a common goal. And she had an overwhelming feeling that it all made sense. Everything came together, all the pieces slotting into place at last. She searched for more detail, some further insight, but the vision faded.

She frowned, deactivating the saber, confused. And yet, she still felt that overwhelming sense of _knowing_. She had been shown the path, or a part of it, at least. All she had to do was find her way onto it.

She attached the saber to her belt, at the same time becoming aware of some kind of commotion in the main hold. Realising it had been going on for some time, she hurried down the corridor. Han and Page were having an animated conversation, while Chewie howled over both of them.

"What's going on?" she asked.

Han turned to look at her. "Well, that's one argument settled," he said. "They wanted to tell you straight away, but I didn't want to disturb you while you were working."

"Tell me what?" Leia said.

Page jumped in. "One of my guys just destroyed an Imperial probe droid, a few kilometres from here," he told her. "Looks like you were right about Vader tracking us down."

She nodded. "Good."

"Right," Han began. "Let's start getting things loaded then, we don't know how much - wait - _good?_"

Leia nodded again. "I need to talk to Vader. It might as well be sooner rather than later."

Han and Page looked at each other, then back at her. "Have you gone mad?" Han demanded. "We've been hiding from the guy for weeks, and now you want to talk to him?"

"We were hiding because I wasn't ready, Han," she told him with exaggerated patience. "I'm ready now."

His eyes flew to her belt. "You finished it," he said.

"Yes. And making it has helped me understand a lot more things than I understood before. I know what I have to do. I need to talk to Vader, so I can't run. But that doesn't mean everyone has to stay."

Han was shaking his head. "Oh no, no, no," he said. "There's no way I'm leaving you alone to face Darth Vader."

"Nor me," added Page. "He won't come alone. If you're determined to speak to him, you'll need someone to hold the stormtroopers off while you do it."

Chewie also added his determination to stay, with an emphatic bark. Leia looked round at each of them, again humbled by their loyalty to her. "Thank you," she said quietly.

* * *

Vader felt a surge of irritation as the comm sounded in his meditation chamber. He activated the comm, selecting audio-only. "I gave orders I should not be disturbed."

Admiral Piett sounded impatient. "Yes, my lord," he said. "I apologise, but your standing orders were to inform you immediately should any evidence of Rebel activity be gathered by the probes. We just received these images, from Ealor, in the Bysis system." A viewer activated, showing a man, unmistakably a Rebel soldier, spotting the probe droid on the other side of the camera and aiming a blaster at it. An instant later, the image collapsed into static. A wave of certainty filled him, exactly like the one he'd felt when the images of the Rebel base on Hoth had arrived on the _Executor_.

"You have done well, Admiral," he told him. "That is exactly what we were looking for. Set your course for Ealor."

"Yes, my lord." Piett closed the connection.

Vader took a deep breath. He had a few minutes before the _Executor_ entered hyperspace, and he knew he should use it to contact Luke and tell him of his discovery. But something stopped him. If he was unable to capture Leia, Starkiller would be angry, far angrier to know that Vader had had her and lost her than if Vader had never found her at all. He reached into the Force, seeking insight, but found only more uncertainty. Everything was hanging in the balance. His encounter with Leia, he realised, would be pivotal to all their fates, and indeed, to the fate of the entire galaxy.

He withdrew his hand from the comm. This was certainly not something Starkiller needed to know right now.

* * *

Initial scans of Ealor had revealed nothing close to the level of technology required by a major Rebel base, and Vader used that discovery as a reason to take only a small squad of stormtroopers down to the planet with him. Piett had tried to argue, of course, but to no avail. He knew who was in charge, and even he dared not go so far as to suggest that Darth Vader did not know what he was doing.

They landed the shuttle near the location from which the probe had sent its last transmission. "Fan out," he told the stormtroopers. "If you see the girl, do not engage her. Inform me of her location and track her. Is that clear?"

"Yes, my lord."

He waited as they moved out, stretching out in the Force, searching for traces of Leia. Her presence came back loud and clear, and he started. She was looking for him! That was unexpected.

He began walking in her direction, thinking as he did so. Her presence was guarded, she was giving nothing away. But for her to be looking for him, she must have a plan. He fed his impatience to the Force, strengthening himself with it. He would find out what her intentions were soon enough …

* * *

Leia looked at Han. "He's here," she said. "Heading this way, alone. The stormtroopers are spreading out through the forest."

Han pulled out his comm, quickly apprising Page of the situation. "What's your plan?" he asked Leia.

"You help the others," she told him. "I have to face Vader alone."

"If I've told you once -" he began, but she cut him off.

"It's me he wants," she insisted, already walking in the direction where she'd sensed him. "He's not interested in you, or anyone else. There's no point you risking your life."

"I could risk it with Page, or I could risk it with you," he told her. "You know which one I'll choose, sweetheart."

Her expression softened, though her voice didn't. "Fine," she said. "But when we get to him, stay out of the way."

As they walked, Han realised they were heading toward a large crater they'd explored in their first few days on the planet. Some ancient primitive civilisation had built a circle of massive standing stones down there, and it gave the place a weird atmosphere. Even he had felt some strange power in the stone circle, and it had given him the creeps. He rolled his eyes. Of course that would be where they were going. You couldn't ask for a more perfect setting for a confrontation between two of the most powerful, mystical people in the galaxy. He glanced at Chewie. The Wookiee gave a soft moan, confirming his own opinion.

Leia paused, reaching for his hand. "He's close," she whispered, nodding as Han indicated the crater. "Stay up here," she told him. "Don't get any stupid ideas, you can't help me down there."

Han looked at her, wanting to say a million things, unable to get any of them out. She gave him a tight smile. "I know," she whispered, and kissed him quickly. Then she was gone, running down into the crater. Han took up position on an outcropping at the edge of the crater, motioning Chewie to a rock nearby. At least he could cover her from a distance. At least he could see what happened this time.

Leia paused halfway down the side of the crater. "I'm here," she called to the Dark Lord. "You don't need anyone else. Call off your men."

Han couldn't suppress a shiver as Vader stepped out from behind one of the standing stones. He held his lightsaber in his hand, unlit, as Leia did.

"Good," he said. "It is you I wanted to see, Leia."

"I know why you're here," she told him. "I know what you want. But I'm not coming back with you. I've had enough of being a prisoner. I've had enough of being powerless."

"You were never powerless," Vader said. "You were the only thing restraining Starkiller. Since you left, he is becoming … uncontrollable."

"You created him. You must have known this could happen."

The Dark Lord shook his head. "He created himself. I merely enabled him. I believed I was steering him in the right direction. I was wrong. He has not brought peace to the galaxy. He has not brought balance to the Force. Only you can do that."

"No," Leia insisted. "None of us can do that. No one person can bring peace, or balance. That makes no sense. The only way to bring peace is to give the galaxy back to the people."

They were close now. Vader ignited his lightsaber, and a moment later Leia followed suit. "You were there at the beginning," she told him. "You helped create the Emperor, and the Empire itself. You sought to control the galaxy. But the galaxy resisted, and brought down your Emperor. You should have realised then. But you tried to replace him, and all that happened is that you created something worse. That was inevitable. It's not the holder of the position that's wrong, it's the position itself, and the whole system. Your plan was never going to work. I told you this from the beginning."

They circled each other, slowly. "Yes … You saw that all along," Vader agreed. "That is why you resisted us." She could almost see him thinking as he paced. "That is what the Force was warning me of when it told me to choose you over him. I have failed, my daughter. I tried to bring peace, and I have only created a monster, in the form of my own son."

He attacked without warning, without even any change in the tone of his voice, but she was ready for him. Han clenched his teeth and gripped his blaster tighter as their lightsabers clashed. He didn't want to watch, but he couldn't look away.

The last time they had fought, Leia had been overwhelmed. But the work she had done with Yoda had taught her much. Last time, he had been too strong for her, but now she saw how to use his strength against him, and use her own smaller size and faster speed to confound his tactics. But she soon realised Vader was not really fighting her. His intention was not to kill her, or even to subdue her so he could return her to Coruscant. He merely wanted to force her into attacking him, put her in a position where she would have to take him down. He wanted her to kill him.

She disengaged from the fight, springing back out of range. He hurled his saber at her, still lit, and she held out her hand, redirecting it with the Force so it buried itself harmlessly in the ground.

"I see your plan," she told him. "It is foolish."

"It is the only way," he insisted. "Strike me down, and your way to your brother is clear." He fell to his knees, bowing his head.

She thought about it as she walked slowly toward him. She could be rid of him forever, and he would never be able to hurt her, or anyone else, again. It was what she had intended for so long. But the path no longer seemed as clear as it had. _Kill Vader_, she had thought. _Kill Vader, and his hold over Luke is broken._ But he no longer had any hold over Luke. Starkiller was the one giving the orders now. Vader merely did his bidding. He was no longer the master.

She looked from him to her saber, paused a moment, and then deactivated it, feeling a wave of confusion from Vader as she did so. "No!" he exclaimed. "You must! It is the only way."

She looked down at him, her face impassive. "Some things we agree on," she told him. "Luke has to be stopped. And dealing with him is my responsibility. But it's too late for your death to make any difference."

"Then _what?_" he demanded. Anger was beginning to consume him again, as it always did when he didn't understand.

"Let me go," she said simply. "Return to Coruscant. Tell him you saw me, but I escaped you. Tell him I will come to him when I am ready. Tell him if he fights me, he will lose." She paused. "Tell him, _Father_. And when I do come, do not get in my way."

And then she simply turned and walked away from him. Han watched in astonishment as Vader retrieved his lightsaber and then pulled out his comlink, telling his troopers to return to the shuttle, they were too late, their target had fled the planet.

He ran to meet her as she reached the lip of the crater. "What the hell -?" he demanded.

She merely shook her head. "Let's get out of here."

As they followed her, Han found himself seeing her in a whole new light. This woman, barely more than a girl really, had just faced down Darth Vader, the most feared man in the galaxy, told him to stay out of her way, and Vader had meekly complied. He shivered, realising he was probably looking at the most powerful person in the entire galaxy right now. Did she know that was what she was? She showed no sign of it. He exchanged a glance with Chewie, seeing his partner was just as intimidated.

Leia looked round at them, sensing their unease. "What's wrong?" she asked.

Han blinked at her. "Oh, I don't know. Just - in what dimension is telling Darth Vader what to do no big deal?"

Leia smiled humourlessly. "Even Dark Lords of the Sith can see reason sometimes," she told him.


	9. Fall of an Empire: Part 2

**TWO**

When they returned to the Alliance, Leia found it much changed from its pre-Endor days. Han, too, was shocked to see how the once-substantial fleet had been reduced. Many of the capital ships floated in stasis, unlit, with no crews available to run them, and when they disembarked from the _Falcon _on _Home One_, they found the once-bustling hangar almost empty.

Leia shook her head. "I knew the Alliance had suffered from what's happened … but I somehow never imagined this."

Han nodded. "It was happening even before I left, but … yeah. This is bad." Chewbacca added his dismay with a howl, while Threepio, following behind him, was uncharacteristically silent.

A young lieutenant came rushing up to them. "General Solo, your highness," he greeted them. "I've been asked to take you to meet with Mon Mothma and General Madine."

"Lead on," Han told him. The corridors they walked through were almost as empty as the hangar, and Han began to wonder how anything could be achieved by such a weakened Alliance.

Crix Madine stood up as they entered the conference room, giving Han a warm handshake and a rare smile. "If we ever find ourselves in a position to give out medals again, Solo, you'll get one for that information you found on Vader," he said as he sat down. "It's a gold mine."

"Thanks, General," he grinned, "but I already got a medal."

"Well, you'll get another one."

Han draped his arm around Leia's shoulders. "S'okay. I never really wanted a medal anyway. I only kept it because her highness here gave it to me."

Leia laughed, and elbowed him in the side, making him jump. "Never mind your heroism," she smiled. "How we're going to use that information is the important thing." She took a seat at the table, looking at Mon Mothma. "And tell me what's happening in the Senate? I can't believe that everyone's as pleased with Starkiller's new security measures as Holonet News makes out."

"You would be right," Mon Mothma confirmed. "There was quite a lot of dissent when the measures were first announced. But after Senator Chii turned up dead and Senator Iklodo was arrested, it suddenly dissipated."

She sighed. "Just like how the Empire always dealt with opposition."

Madine shook his head. "It sickens me," he said. "To think it's Skywalker doing this."

"Yes," Mon Mothma agreed. "We all owe you an apology for doubting you, General Solo."

Han shrugged it off. "Half the time even I thought I was crazy to think it," he said.

"And the important thing is that we now have more information than we've ever had on the clandestine dealings of the Empire," Madine said. "The problem is, we're less well-equipped than we've ever been to do anything about it."

"We'll just need to be clever then, won't we?" Leia said. "Don't forget, we took out the first Death Star with almost nothing. We just need to choose our targets wisely."

"That's very true," Mon Mothma agreed. "I look forward to seeing you argue it to the General Council - such as it is now."

"Is it really that bad?" Leia asked.

"The Alliance is a shadow of its former self," Mon Mothma told her. "You've probably seen plenty of evidence of that already. We have seen some individuals and groups return recently, once they realised the Empire hadn't really changed, but we are still far from our former strength."

"And yet you started with nothing," Leia reminded her. "You, my father, a few others: you built the Alliance from nothing. It doesn't really matter how many of us there are; as long as the idea is still out there, we are strong. We will succeed, I know it."

"Do you have a plan?" Madine asked.

"Not a detailed one," she said. "But I don't feel that a simple military attack is the way to go. We need to take the information we have - about Vader, and Starkiller - and give it directly to the people."

"How? Put it up on the Holonet?"

"No. It'd be too slow to get around, and too easy to remove or discredit. We need to do it as publicly as possible. We need to expose Starkiller and Vader - show the people who they're being ruled by, and why."

"That won't be easy," he warned her.

"I know."

* * *

And so Leia found herself facing the Alliance General Council again, for the first time since before the attack on the Death Star at Endor. They were much reduced since then, but she sensed they would be as tough an audience as ever. Senator C'hor was still among them: he had never wanted to attack the second Death Star in the first place, thinking the whole thing was an elaborate trap. He had been right, of course, and back then he had been close to carrying the Council with him. She could tell by the way he looked at her that he still held a grudge. There were friendlier faces too, though: General Dodonna, who had taken a seat on the Council after the battle of Yavin; and Mon Mothma, of course. But the general feeling in the room was sceptical: they had seen the Alliance collapse, and they did not see how even Leia could be the one to bring it back.

"What makes you so certain," C'hor asked, "that exposing Luke Skywalker as a traitor will bring down the Empire?"

She winced. _Traitor_. She'd called Luke that herself, once, but she still didn't like to hear it. "I don't just want to expose Luke," she said. "I want to expose Vader too, and Palpatine, and the whole Sith conspiracy."

"What makes you think anyone still cares about the internecine conflicts of the Jedi?"

Leia gave him a cold look. "The Jedi were not the only group to be affected by that conflict," she told him. "The whole galaxy has suffered for it. But they still don't know why - that's what I want to show them. And if that isn't enough, the records General Solo uncovered during his investigations lay bare the corruption of Palpatine and Vader, and give proof to the atrocities they perpetrated in the name of the Empire."

"Be that as it may," C'hor argued, "the risk is massive. There are so many ways in which it could go wrong. It would take all we have, and more, to pull it off, and with the Alliance in such a weakened state, failure would surely mean the end for all of us."

"All or nothing," Dodonna murmured. "What are we saving ourselves for?" he asked, raising his voice. "For the Empire to begin constructing yet another Death Star?"

Mon Mothma sighed. "We couldn't attack it if they did. We now barely have the kind of force we were able to throw at the first one at Yavin. It's undeniable that we cannot compete militarily with the Empire any more. We must find some other way. We have also seen quite clearly that opposing them from within the Senate cannot work."

"But this is madness. Suicide. You can't simply walk into the Senate chamber and challenge the Prime Councillor."

"Why not?" Leia asked calmly. "I'm sure if you allow me to talk to the Military Council they could come up with a plan that allowed me to do just that. But we're not here to discuss details yet. We're here to decide whether challenging Vader and Starkiller is an approach worth taking."

"If I understand correctly, your highness, this whole mission would depend largely on you."

She nodded. "It would."

"And are you confident that you can succeed? Against Vader and Starkiller? Not to mention all the defences available to them?"

Leia pursed her lips. "I don't think Luke is ready to kill me yet," she said. "And if I'm right, I won't need to take on Vader at all."

"What do you mean?" C'hor demanded.

_Here goes nothing_, Leia thought. She hadn't intended to share this information with them unless she had to, but it seemed it was unavoidable. "I have spoken to Darth Vader," she said. "He agreed he would not get in my way if I was to challenge Luke."

There was a collective gasp. "Forgive me, your highness," Dal Mulleine said, speaking for the first time. "I was with you up until now, but surely trusting Darth Vader is beyond foolish."

Leia didn't disagree. "It would be," she said. "But I don't need to trust him. I _know_ him."

A sudden uneasy feeling swept the room, like a shudder in the Force. Leia had felt it before: from Han and Chewbacca on Ealor. It saddened her. These people, whatever their feelings about her personally, had used to trust her. Now she made them nervous.

C'hor was the first to gather himself. "Is this what the Alliance has come to?" he demanded. "Placing our trust in Darth Vader?"

Leia's patience was beginning to grow thin. She shrugged. "I'm not asking you to trust _him_," she said. "Just me."

C'hor shook his head. "Well, I'm not even sure I can do that," he said. "After what happened at Endor …"

Leia sighed. "I concede that I was partly responsible for the lack of complete success of that mission," she said. "I deeply regret not being able to help Luke on the Death Star, or help him throw off Vader's influence since then. I feel personally responsible for his fall, and I'm determined to do all I can to bring him back. But don't forget - he was responsible for the death of the Emperor. And the Death Star was destroyed - if it had not been, we could be in an even worse situation now than we are. What's done is done, and we need to move on from it."

"While avoiding making the same mistakes again," C'hor cautioned.

"What were the mistakes?" Leia demanded. "If you think they were mine, then allow me to put them right. But I cannot do it alone. I need the Alliance's help."

C'hor opened his mouth again, but Dodonna held up a hand. "Please, Senator. We all know your opinion. Allow the rest of us to participate, please. Princess, I remember the Jedi knights. I met several of them, when I was in the Republic army. I believe I may have even run into your father once. But they were … intimidating. They always seemed to be one step ahead of everyone else, and you never knew what they were thinking. It was partly this that made everyone so ready to believe that the Jedi had betrayed the Republic, back at the start of the Empire. Do you understand that, to many people who know nothing of the Sith, the Jedi are no better than, even no different from them?"

Leia nodded. "Oh, I understand that, General. I'm understanding it more every day. Yet in the same way, many people believe the Republic was no better than the Empire. But that has never stopped us trying to convince them otherwise. And once they see how they have been lied to, I think we will have a better chance than we have ever had to bring them round to our point of view."

There was silence for a moment. Then Senator C'hor spoke again. "And if you succeed in bringing down the Prime Councillor? What then?"

"If _we_ succeed," Leia corrected him. "Then we can begin on what has always been our goal: to restore the Republic."

"But you personally?"

She smiled. "I can assure you, I have no designs on ruling the galaxy myself. Vader offered it to me. He practically _begged_ me to take on the role of Prime Councillor, be Empress in all but name. I refused. Because I knew it would lead to the kind of situation we have now. I'll tell you what I told him, and Luke: I want to bring down the Empire, not rule it."

C'hor pursed his lips, but said nothing more. No-one else seemed to have anything to say either. Mon Mothma stood. "If we are to go ahead with this plan, it will take a lot of preparation," she said. "I move we pass it on to the Military Council, so they can look into the details. If they find it cannot be done, then we will have to abandon the idea. But if they should find it to be viable, we can discuss it again then. All those in favour?"

A narrow majority carried the motion, and the Council dispersed.

Han was waiting for Leia outside the meeting room, and she hugged him warmly, grateful for his presence.

"How did it go?" he asked.

"They've agreed to pass the idea on to the Military Council," she said. "If they find it's viable, and can come up with a plan, then the General Council will consider going ahead with it."

"There were some pretty grim faces coming out of that room," Han said, and she nodded.

"They're scared," she said. "I'm not sure if they're just scared of losing what little we have left, or if it's me they don't trust, or just the Jedi in general."

"I'm sure they trust you, sweetheart," Han attempted to reassure her, but she shook her head.

"When I talked about Vader, they felt exactly like you did on Ealor, when you said that thing about 'telling Darth Vader what to do'." He avoided her eyes, and she frowned. "What does it mean, Han?" she asked. "Are they afraid of me? Are you?"

He shook his head. "No … it's not fear. I was … intimidated, maybe. I gotta admit, seeing you face down Vader like that was scary. Of course, they didn't see it, but maybe they kinda sense it. How you've changed."

"_Have_ I changed?"

Han's face twisted almost comically as he attempted to find the right words. "I don't know," he said. "I know you were a Jedi before, but … it's like … you're more powerful now, or something. It _is_ different."

Leia looked thoughtful. "I guess that makes sense. I was a Jedi before, at least I thought I was, but it was only after I finished making my lightsaber that it all really started to fall into place. I do feel different, in a way … but it's still me. I wish they could see that."

"They will."

"I hope so."

* * *

Starkiller rose from behind his desk as Vader entered the room. "What are you doing here?" he demanded. "Why aren't you searching for my sister?"

"I found her," the Dark Lord said, stopping him dead in his tracks.

"You found her? Where is she?" He started forward, as if she might be hiding just outside the room.

Vader held up a hand. "She is not here," he said. "She refused to return."

"What?" Starkiller's voice was low, but Vader felt his anger burning strong.

"She refused. She fought me. She has constructed a new lightsaber. My only options were to kill her, or let her go. I knew you did not wish me to kill her, and I could not stop her any other way."

"Did you track her?"

"No. My team was unable to reach their ship before they escaped, so we could not apply a homing beacon."

Starkiller's hand went to his lightsaber. "You realise if you were anyone else, I would kill you for your failure?"

"In anyone else, such a failure would be due to incompetence. You know perfectly well that, if I was unable to bring her back to you, no-one else could have done any better."

Starkiller returned to his desk, slumping into the chair. "Then now what? We just let her go? She's dangerous. If she is allowed to return to the Alliance …"

"The search for the Rebels continues. We have many probes still active and we are still sending out more. Their threat will be eliminated. She cannot bring down the Empire alone." He took extra care as he spoke to ensure his feelings were guarded. After his last meeting with Leia, he now realised just how formidable a foe she was. He would not be surprised at all if she should be able to bring down the Empire single-handed.

He sensed that Starkiller felt the same. "How did she manage to make a new lightsaber? Who's helping her?"

Vader shrugged. "That is a mystery."

"It was Yoda that taught me …" He grew thoughtful. "Could Yoda have visited her? Is he still able to appear as he did to me? If Yoda is helping her …"

The Dark Lord made a dismissive gesture. "How much help can a dead being be? In any case, it is surely more important for you to concentrate on the state of the Empire. Leave me to worry about the Rebels."

"Very well."

But it wasn't the state of the Empire he found himself thinking about after his father had left. _How much help could a dead being be?_ A significant amount, if that dead being was a Jedi master. He knew that from experience, and Vader should know it too. He had seen the results of Yoda's training in Luke's abilities. And for Leia to now be able to outfight Vader and escape him, that must mean she had had some help. His thoughts returned to the last time he had visited her at the mansion retreat, how much her demeanour had changed. That was it, he realised - Yoda had visited her while they kept her in the mansion, and it must have been him helped her escape somehow. This was bad news.

"Bad news indeed, young Skywalker. For you, at least."

He looked up. "Yoda. I should have known. How did you do it? How did you get her out?"

The old Jedi shook his head. "Clear it should be, that I did not help your sister escape you. Your investigations should have shown you that."

"All they showed is that someone sent my droids to infiltrate the mansion and kidnap her. My money's still on Han Solo, even though he's supposed to be dead. The question is how you got to Han. He's no Force sensitive."

Yoda shrugged. "Irrelevant, these questions are. What matters is that your reign will soon be at an end."

"So you're on Leia's side too, I see."

"We are on the same side. The side of the Force."

"And you think I am not?"

"I know you are not. Lost your way you have, Luke. Wandered far from the right path."

"You're wrong," Starkiller insisted. "I am doing what has to be done, to bring peace to the galaxy."

"Bring peace it will not, what you are doing. Lead only to greater conflict it will."

He shrugged. "That's your opinion."

"Search your feelings you must," Yoda insisted. "When you are calm, at peace, only then, the truth will you see."

Starkiller dropped his head in his hands. "All I see is Leia destroying me," he admitted, his voice strained. "If I allow her to remain free, she will ruin everything I've worked for. I can't let that happen! But how can I stop her without killing her?"

He looked up, but Yoda had gone. He shook his head in exasperation. His former master had all but admitted helping Leia to work against him. It was no more than he had expected, though it still hurt to see Yoda turn against him so emphatically. But all he could do was feed the hurt and anger to the Force, use it to bolster himself against their betrayal. He knew he would need the strength - and soon. Leia would have a plan, and it would not take her too long to act on it. He would have to be ready when she did.

* * *

Leia found herself far more relaxed meeting with the Military Council than she had been with the General Council. It was strange, when you thought of it: the General Council should have been more her place, its politicians, diplomats and businessbeings were her people, really. But for some reason, with the generals and admirals here, she felt far more at home than she had there. Perhaps it was all those years on the run, in hiding with Rieekan's cell. Or perhaps all the time she had spent with Luke, Han and other rank-and-file members of the Alliance. It had given her a very different perspective on what they did and why they did it, a perspective that had been lacking in the General Council. Which was, of course, why Mon Mothma had asked her to join it, when she had limped back to the fleet on the _Falcon _after Hoth and Bespin. But it wasn't something the Council as a whole had welcomed, and Leia had been well aware of that. Then, and now.

The Military Council felt differently about her, she could feel it. While some of them were emanating that queasy sense of uneasiness that she seemed to inspire in most people these days until they got used to her, most seemed to realise she was the same person deep down, and that gladdened her. On the whole, she felt optimistic about this meeting, that it was going to be a productive one, free of the circular arguments and petty power struggles the General Council was so prone to indulge in.

Admiral Ackbar was the last to arrive, acknowledging her with a nod and offering an apology to the Council for delaying the meeting as he took his seat.

"Welcome all," he said. "And welcome Princess Leia, who I believe has a plan to take down the Empire and would like our advice on it." He gestured to her, inviting her to address the council.

She smiled. "I'm afraid I don't actually have a plan yet, Admiral," she said. "At least not a concrete one, though I do know what needs to be done. We need to expose Vader and Starkiller, and the best way to do that is to get into the Senate chamber, upload the information we have, and let the people decide what to do about it. How we get into the chamber, how we ensure the information gets out, and how we get out again, well, that's what I was hoping you could help me with."

It was not a small thing to ask, she knew that. And the General Council would have been outraged at her bluntness. But this was different. The beings who sat on the Military Council were pragmatists, and she knew that. Tell them what you needed done, and they would figure out how to do it - if it could be done.

And that was what they were already doing. Ackbar nodded slowly. "We will need to ensure the Senate proceedings are broadcast," he said. "The easiest way to do that is to take one of the Holonet satellites orbiting the planet."

General Rieekan also nodded. "And you'll need someone to get you into the Senate chamber. With Starkiller's new security protocols in place, it will have to be someone on the inside."

General Madine chimed in. "And you'll need someone to get you onto the planet in the first place."

Leia smiled again. "Excellent. Can we do it?"

They were less quick to speak this time. Rieekan pursed his lips. "We still have sympathetic senators we can call on, but it won't be easy to convince one to help. After what happened to Chii and Iklodo … I'll pass on a message to our agents on Coruscant, but if no-one will help, then getting into the Senate building will become extremely difficult." He looked at Leia. "I assume once you're in the building you can take it from there?"

She nodded. "We'll need weapons, but I'll be able to get us past any guards we encounter." She hadn't meant to sound arrogant, or overly sure of herself, but she could tell they had taken it that way. She sighed to herself, but said nothing. It seemed to be part and parcel of being a Jedi, to make people feel strange around you.

"What about getting onto the planet?" she asked.

"Our agents can probably take care of that," Rieekan answered. "I assume you'll be taking the _Millennium Falcon_?"

"I hadn't thought about it," she admitted. "I'll speak to Han, but yes, probably."

Rieekan nodded. "Whichever ship you take, it'll need a false registration. I'm sure Starkiller will have entered profiles of all known Alliance ships on a block list somewhere. That's simple enough, though."

Madine spoke next. "So we're looking at two strike teams - one to take the satellite, and one to support you on the ground."

She nodded. "Mine will have to be small. I can't walk into the Senate building with a full squad of commandoes and not arouse suspicion." That made them laugh, and she was glad of it.

"Agreed," Madine said. "Two or three would have to be the limit. Is that enough, though?"

She frowned. "It'll have to be. I'm acting on the assumption that Starkiller doesn't want to kill me, which I know was true at least up until recently. If that's changed, then the danger will be significantly increased. Either way, I can deal with Starkiller, but there may be other resistance."

"What about Vader?"

"Again, I'm acting on the assumption that his feelings haven't changed, and he won't help Starkiller against us."

"Those are pretty big assumptions, princess."

"I know. I've felt no indications that they have changed, at least as of now. If they do, then we will have to reconsider the viability of the mission as a whole, but at the moment, I'm confident in making those assumptions."

"Very well," Madine concluded. "Is there anything else we need to know?"

"There is one more thing I'd like to do." She took a deep breath. "If everything else goes according to plan, then I'd like to bring Starkiller back with us."

They just blinked at her. No-one said anything, but their shock was palpable in the Force.

"You want to kidnap the Prime Councillor?" Rieekan said eventually.

She nodded. "If we succeed in getting the information out there, it's likely he wouldn't be Prime Councillor much longer anyway. The way he's been behaving recently, I worry about what he will do when his rule is seriously threatened. It would be safer for everyone if we take him where he can do no harm."

"And … you want us to plan that as well?"

"No," she reassured them. "You can leave that part to me. The most important thing right now is to expose the truth. Bringing Luke back is my personal mission, my responsibility. I will make sure that anyone who works on it with me is clear about that and happy to be a part of it."

Madine couldn't suppress a smile. "So that'll be Han Solo, Chewbacca, Page, Wedge Antilles …"

Leia returned his smile. "I hope so."

* * *

After several days of intensive discussions, the Military Council was ready to talk to General Han Solo. He was as unfazed by the summons as they'd expected. "Afternoon, guys." he greeted them, settling himself comfortably in a seat and helping himself to a mug of caf.

"Afternoon, Solo." General Madine also wasted no time on formalities. "So, what can you tell us about Princess Leia's crazy plan to kidnap her brother from the Senate chamber itself? Do you think it can work?"

Han pursed his lips. "With Leia running it, I can't see it failing," he said. "That's, you know, if all the omens are right, and the wind's in the right direction, and …" He paused to allow them to laugh, smiling himself. "You know I don't get this Jedi stuff. But she seems sure she can do it, and I've seen what she can do - I'm not going to argue with her. Also, her priority is getting the information uploaded, and she's said more than once that if we can't do that, we fail. We only look at taking Starkiller if that's already done."

"How does she plan to take him off the planet?"

"Wedge is going to be our backup on the _Falcon_," Han said. "He'll pick us up, and take us directly to the safe place she's picked out. We won't be bringing him back to the fleet."

"Well, that's something," Rieekan said, with obvious relief. "I didn't want to think about how we'd deal with him here."

"Only Leia and the _Falcon_'s navicomputer know where we're going right now. It's safer that way," Han added.

Madine leaned forward. "You are telling us everything, right, Solo? I don't want a repeat of Endor."

Han gave him a sharp look. "You know damn well I don't either, General. There aren't many possible outcomes to this plan: either we pull it off - in which case, great. Or else we fail, and end up dead or captured, which could happen anyway. It doesn't really add any extra risks to the mission."

Madine nodded. "And the potential gains are great."

"What if they track you?" Admiral Ackbar asked.

"Then they'll track _us_, not the Alliance fleet. The more attention there is on us, the less there is on the rest of you."

Ackbar nodded, looked around at the rest of the Council. "Then I think we know all we need to know."

* * *

Han went straight from the meeting to find Leia. She was in one of _Home One_'s cargo bays, training. She was fighting a set of remotes as he entered the room, but he knew better than to assume she hadn't noticed him. He leaned against a ledge just inside the door, waiting for her to finish her exercises.

He was still in awe of her skill and speed with the lightsaber. She moved so fast his eyes almost couldn't follow her, perfectly anticipating and blocking the shots from the six remotes she was fighting. Yet her movements were still graceful, she was always precisely balanced no matter how many jumps and twists she was forced to make. Her mind seemed to be always one step ahead of her body, and he still had no idea how she did it. The Force, obviously; but to him that was like saying she did it with magic. He smiled to himself. Maybe she did - it made about as much sense.

One by one, the remotes deactivated as they had taken the required amount of hits, and once they had all fallen still, she switched off her lightsaber and turned to smile at him, mopping the sweat from her face with her sleeve. He went to meet her, returning her smile as she walked toward him.

"Enjoy the show?" she asked, raising her eyebrows at him.

"It was awesome," he said, taking her in his arms and kissing her damp forehead. "You should sell tickets."

She hugged him close. "I'll keep that in mind, in case we ever find ourselves needing some quick cash."

Han laughed, wondering if their lives would ever be ordinary enough for them to find themselves in such a situation. Somehow, he doubted it.

"I just came from the Military Council," he told her. "It looks like they're close to giving the mission a recommendation."

"That's good news," she said. "I think it's best we should make our move soon."

"The Force tells you that?"

She pursed her lips. "Not really. But one thing I've learned is that things always change. Circumstances are favourable right now, but they may not stay that way for long. Better to act now, than wait too long and be too late."

* * *

Two weeks later, all was in place. The Alliance had put the word out. They had spread the news that Leia Organa was alive, and back with the Rebellion. That she had a plan to take down the Empire. That they hadn't given up. And it had worked, people had returned, rallying again around the familiar figurehead of the Princess of Alderaan. Many had already realised that the new Empire was not that different from the old one, that Starkiller was no miraculous saviour of the galaxy, and now they were ready to do something about it. And now the Alliance had crews for its ships, enough capital ships and fighters to put up a good fight in what they would call the Battle of Coruscant, the battle they hoped would be the one that would end the war.

Preparations were well underway, and Mon Mothma led the final briefing of the mission's team leaders. Leia was there, as leader of the Senate infiltration, along with Wedge, who was leading her air support team. Admiral Ackbar was leading the orbital assault on Coruscant, while the strike team tasked with taking the Holonet satellite would be led by General Crix Madine himself. There had been some discussion about the wisdom of this last, but Madine had argued that this was the Alliance's last-ditch, desperate attempt to achieve its goals, and as such it was only right that the entirety of its strength should be thrown at the problem. "Besides," he'd added with a smile, "I'm not going to let myself be outdone in heroics by the Organa/Solo team." This had raised a laugh from the combined Military and General Councils, not least from Leia herself. She was glad to feel that as people got used to her they were less intimidated. Though she had heard more than once that no-one wanted to get on her bad side, as they'd spent more time with her and realised she was still Leia, they seemed to have stopped being afraid of her.

Mon Mothma wasted no time in getting down to the details. "The Senate strike team will first travel to Brentaal IV," she began, "to ensure their inbound journey checks out. They will then arrive on Coruscant under the guise of a commercial delegation from Brentaal IV to meet with Senator Davale of that planet. Following the initial meeting with the senator, he will ensure their weapons are delivered to the Senate building in shielded diplomatic containers over the next three days, after which the delegation will return to the Senate building. Once the Senate team is in place, we are committed. The orbital assault force will arrive insystem and stage a distraction attack as General Madine's team takes the orbital Holonet satellite HN-12. Once they have the satellite network, Princess Leia's team will make their move on the Senate chamber.

"If all goes according to plan, then Commander Antilles will extract the Senate team, while the fleet will cover their escape and that of General Madine's team. Any questions?"

There were none, and the group dispersed to complete their final preparations.


	10. Fall of an Empire: Part 3

**THREE**

The _Millennium Falcon_ was more crowded than it had been for a long time. In addition to the Senate team - Leia, Han, Page and two others - there were Wedge and Chewie, a navigator and comm officer, as well as two gunners, making eleven beings in total, not including the droids R2-D2 and C-3PO, who had insisted on coming along even though they had no particular role in the mission. Han was in the pilot's seat at the moment, having refused to let Wedge take the helm for this journey even though he trusted him to fly later. "I don't want my last trip in the _Falcon_ to have been as a passenger," he'd said grimly, and no-one was inclined to argue with him.

Leia had taken refuge in Han's bunk. There was nowhere else to sit down other than the floor or a packing crate, and even though several people had offered to give up their seat for her, she found she preferred to be alone anyway. She sat back against the pillows, trying not to think too much about what was to come.

She kept remembering the conversation she'd had back at the mansion retreat with Luke, so long ago, when he'd accused her of manipulating people into following her, making them do what she wanted them to do, and enjoying it for its own sake. It was a fine line, she realised. She did have an extremely strong influence over people, but she had not been fully aware of it before. Now though, she saw it clearly, and she was doing what she could to make sure that people, especially those who followed her like those on the _Falcon_ now, were doing what they were doing for the right reasons, not just for her. But sometimes, the line was too fine to make out. Take Han, for example: this had never been his fight. The Empire had never personally hurt him. If it hadn't been for her and Luke, he'd have remained what he was, just one of the many billions of people in the galaxy trying to survive and make the best of what they had in the circumstances. It was because of her that he'd gotten involved, and was still involved, in this fight. And she knew he was willing to die for her.

It was a frightening thought. For all she knew, she could be leading all these people to their deaths. It horrified her. And yet, what other option was there? Leave Luke to take the galaxy further into the dark? Leave her brother to suffer? Leave her father … her _father … _

The proximity alarm broke into her thoughts. They had come out of hyperspace, and were approaching Coruscant. She shook off her pensive mood as she headed for the cockpit. This was an important moment. Their plan could all go horribly wrong right now, and if it did, she wanted to be with Han.

Han had given up his seat to Wedge, as he would have to deal with traffic control, being the designated pilot for the trip. But he hadn't left the cockpit. Leia squeezed in next to him, and he put his arm around her shoulders without taking his eyes off the planet sparkling in the viewport.

The comm officer signalled that a channel was open, and directed it to Wedge's station. "Coruscant Traffic Control," Wedge began, "this is the _Ghost Flyer_, requesting permission to land. We're transporting a delegation from D'uren-Mar Technologies of Brentaal IV, to meet with Senator Davale. He's expecting us. I'm transmitting our credentials now."

A few seconds' delay, then Control came back. "Acknowledged, _Ghost Flyer_, please stand by."

The tension was palpable in the cockpit as they waited for the confirmation. If Rieekan's team had done their work well, their details would check out, but if not, their mission would be over before it started.

The comm crackled again. "_Ghost Flyer_, I have your assignment registered, all looks good. Please transmit full details of all passengers and cargo, and hold your current position. You will be informed when a landing slot becomes free."

Wedge was careful to keep the anxiety out of his voice as he replied. "Thanks, Control. Transmission commencing."

As the comm officer sent the information, Wedge looked round at Han and Leia. "Well, that's step one," he said. "It could take a couple of hours for them to run the full checks and get back to us."

Leia nodded. "We'll get out of your way." Taking Han's arm, she led him from the cockpit, though he went with her only reluctantly.

He caught her concerned look and mustered half a smile. "It's okay, sweetheart. I know I have to let her go. It's just not easy."

"You'll see her again," she told him, squeezing his arm reassuringly. He wanted to believe her, but his gut was saying otherwise.

Almost exactly two hours later, the _Ghost Flyer_ was cleared to land on Coruscant. A wave of relief swept the ship, prompting cheers and applause from most of its occupants. Even Han managed to smile. "I guess Rieekan's team know their stuff," he said.

Leia nodded. "It's all up to us now."

* * *

Something pinged on Vader's comm station. Turning back to his desk, he opened the alert. He had registered a request to be informed of the arrival on Coruscant of a particular kind of ship weeks ago, soon after he'd returned from his search for Leia, and had almost forgotten about it.

Now he was reminded. A YT-1300 Corellian light freighter had just landed on Coruscant, at one of the Senate's auxiliary spaceports. Interesting. He didn't recognise any of the names on the passenger manifest, of course, but that meant nothing. He called up the security cam feed from the landing bay, focusing in on the ship's boarding ramp as it lowered. He advanced the footage until the first passengers emerged, then shifted to slow motion. Yes, this was it. She was unmistakable. Leia Organa was on Coruscant. The man with her appeared to be Han Solo, meaning Luke had been right in his suspicion that he hadn't died at the Battle of Endor. The others must be their back-up team.

So she had finally decided to make her move. He wondered what it would be, and why she was doing it on Coruscant. Then he deleted the alert, along with all evidence of his searches. Her purpose would be revealed soon enough, no doubt.

* * *

Leia rolled her eyes. "Stang, Han, I guess this explains why I've never seen you in formal clothes."

He squirmed as she tried to straighten his shirt. "They just don't like me, okay? And what are you supposed to be, anyway?"

She was barely recognisable in her ridiculously complicated hairstyle and over-the-top make-up, not to mention the elaborately embroidered and ruffled voluminous dress-and-coat-thing she was wearing. She carried it off well, though, he had to admit.

Leia smiled wryly. "We're going to the Senate building, remember? I used to spend a lot of time there, and I don't want to take the chance of anyone recognising me. Hopefully I just look like an over-dressed businesswoman."

"An overdressed something," he commented, squirming again as she fastened his long jacket and stepped back to appraise him.

"I guess you'll do," she said, moving on to inspect Page and the others, who had dressed with soldiers' care and all looked perfect.

"I'd feel better if I had my blaster," Han grumbled.

"No weapons allowed in the Senate building," she reminded him. "Don't worry, they'll be there when we need them."

"If Davale keeps up his end of the bargain," he said darkly.

"Oh, will you stop?" Leia exclaimed, prompting a smile from Page. "I know you're nervous, but, please, let's keep a little positivity here, okay?"

"Okay, okay," he said impatiently. "And I'm not nervous," he added under his breath. Leia raised one perfectly groomed eyebrow, but said no more.

* * *

Senator Davale was waiting to greet them when their speeder arrived at the Senate building. He stepped forward to take Leia's hands, bowing low.

"Lady H'senn," he said. "It is a pleasure and an honour to meet you."

"Thank you, Senator," Leia replied graciously, and introduced her companions as the team from D'uren-Mar Technologies: the company's chief executive officer, finance officer, and marketing executives.

Davale nodded to each of them in turn. "A pleasure," he said, and gestured toward the door. "Shall we go to my office?"

Leia nodded. As they walked, Davale chatted lightly about Brentaal IV, asking about the weather, the latest popular holovids and such, and mentioning his regrets that he was not able to return home to visit as often as he would like. Once they entered his office, however, his entire demeanour changed.

"You are well disguised, your highness," he said. "For a moment, I doubted it was actually you. Shall we get straight down to business?" He looked over at Han, who was gesturing frantically at him, trying to warn him that they may be under surveillance, and smiled. "Don't worry, General Solo," he said. "My droid C3-T5 takes care of security for me. He is very capable. If there had been any doubt of our privacy, he would have warned me the moment we entered the outer office. Please, be seated and relax. I was assured by my contacts that your mission is vital to the Alliance."

"Indeed it is," Leia told him. "We are very grateful for your help, Senator. We know you have put yourself in great personal danger to aid us."

Davale nodded. "The way things are going, this new Empire is becoming worse than the first one. I have no illusions that I can remain safe simply through keeping my mouth shut and my head down any longer. Something has to be done, and whatever the risk, I'm willing to help you do it."

She gave him a tense smile. "Thank you. The greatest danger you will face is in helping to smuggle our weapons into the building. Should they be discovered …"

Davale nodded. "I'm dead. But deliveries in diplomatic boxes from commercial companies are no unusual occurrence here, and I'm confident they will face no more than the usual formalities. The Empire has had no reason to doubt my loyalty until now."

Han picked up the story. "Once the weapons are in the building, you need to keep them here and safe until we return. We'll need to use this office to change our clothes and equip ourselves. After that, you're free and clear. I would suggest you get yourself out of the way for a while, in case things go wrong."

Leia held out a datachip. "Should you wish to know what this is all about, the information we plan to release is on this chip. It's your choice whether you take it, but if you do, I must warn you to keep it safe and show it to nobody until our mission is completed. If our mission fails, what you do with it is up to you. This is information that can bring down the Empire. We cannot afford to have you caught with it before our mission is complete."

Davale tilted his head and pursed his lips, looking at the datachip as he thought. Then he smiled. "I admit I'm tempted," he said. "But I think it's safer for me to know as little as possible at this stage. If you succeed, it will be in the public domain within a couple of days, no doubt. I can wait that long."

She nodded, replacing the chip in her robes. "Thank you again, Senator. We'll meet again in three days, then."

He rose to shake her hand again. "I look forward to it."

* * *

Starkiller was feeling twitchy. There was something going on, he felt it, something he didn't know about. Somebody was plotting against him, and it was more than just the usual Senatorial machinations and intrigue that was afoot.

He looked up as the door opened and Darth Vader swept into the room. "What's going on?" he demanded bluntly, not even bothering to greet his father.

Vader stared at him. "You refer to something particular, my lord? Or do you simply wish to know what is happening in your outer office?"

Starkiller blinked under his mask. "Don't be flippant, Vader, it doesn't suit you. Something is going on, someone is plotting against me, I feel it."

"I have felt no such intimations," Vader told him.

"Is it you?" Starkiller demanded. "You put me on the throne, and now you plan to overthrow me, is that it? I will not allow it. I have lost far too much on this journey to give it up lightly."

Vader took a seat. "Be calm, my son," he told him. "This is a crucial time for the Empire, when much is being decided. It is only to be expected that you should feel unsettled. But I assure you, there is nothing for you to worry about."

Starkiller shook his head. "I don't trust anyone any more," he said. "Not even you. There is too much at stake, and my grip is tenuous. I _know_ they are plotting against me."

"Who?"

"The Jedi, of course!"

Vader evinced surprise. "The Jedi no longer exist. Their only remnant is Leia."

"Oh, they exist," Starkiller assured him. "There's Yoda and Obi-Wan for a start, and I know they're on her side. They're after me. They want to bring me down, and I _won't_ let them. Order the security details strengthened, immediately."

"Very well," Vader said, and left the office. Of course he had lied when he said he felt no evidence of a plot against Starkiller. He felt it strongly, and knew it was close. Leia's plan was in train, and it would not take long to come to fruition. He buried the guilt he felt at deceiving his son, knowing that this was the only way to save him from himself.

* * *

Three days later, Leia, Han and the team were back in Davale's office. All had gone according to plan, and their weapons and equipment were all there waiting for them. Once the senator had left, they prepared quickly, Leia taking the longest as she had to remove her make-up and simplify her hair as well as remove her elaborate outer clothing. Soon, though, they were ready to go.

Leia activated her comlink and called Wedge, who was acting as their contact back to the fleet and the operation as a whole. "Team Ghost reporting, in position and ready to proceed," she said.

"Acknowledged," came his reply. "_Home One_ reports the fleet is engaged, and Team Insight is en route to target. And Team Flyer is ready to go on your mark."

"Excellent," she said. "Let me know when Insight has secured its objective."

"Copy that," Wedge confirmed. "Good luck, Ghost."

"Thanks, Flyer. You too." She replaced the comlink on her belt. "Everybody ready?" They all indicated they were. "Then let's take down the Empire," she smiled.

* * *

Crix Madine sat in the assault shuttle with the rest of Team Insight - four gunners and three slicers, ready to take the unmanned Holonet satellite HN-12. The slicers were a young group, all hand-picked by himself and General Rieekan for this mission, all extremely smart and good at what they did. But for all of them, this was their first experience of front-line conflict, and they were nervous and not handling it too well.

"Take it easy, guys," he warned them, smiling at the sharp look he received from the lone female in the group. "Sorry, Sel. Take it easy, all of you. If you do your job right, the satellite's automated defences won't be able to harm us, and then all you have to worry about is taking control of the systems. The gunners here will keep any TIEs that get past the X-wings off our backs."

"Yeah," one of the gunners agreed with a grin. "You kids just make sure your datapads are fully charged."

Sel rolled her eyes. "We don't use datapads," she told him, her voice dripping with disdain. "This equipment is as far beyond a datapad as … well, as an X-wing is beyond an eopie cart." She exchanged a look with her fellow slicers, who nodded, sharing her contempt for the gunner's ignorance as Madine shot the gunner a smile.

"We'll be in range of the systems in two minutes," the comm officer announced, and the slicers began unpacking the equipment which would allow them to access the satellite's defence systems remotely.

"This is it, guys," Madine confirmed. "May the Force be with us."

* * *

Leia had to be careful not to use the Force too obviously, with Luke so close by. She had already realised that Vader was aware of her presence, but sensed that he had no intention of informing Luke of it, and was doing what he could to cloud Starkiller's perception. She appreciated the help, but still did not intend to take any unnecessary risks.

Necessary risks came soon enough, however, as they drew closer to the inner sanctum of the Senate chamber. Two guards stepped forward to block their path.

"I'll need to see your identification," one said.

Leia made a small gesture. "You don't need to see our identification."

The guard inclined his head a little. "We don't need to see your identification," he echoed.

"We're cleared to proceed," she told him.

"You are cleared to proceed."

"Let's go."

"Let's go." He gestured impatiently, waving them through.

Han's spine tingled as they passed the guards and entered the main hallway. "I don't think I'll ever get used to that," he murmured.

Leia gave a small smile. "Stay sharp. It doesn't work on everyone."

But they encountered no more guards as they crossed to the lifts, and the corridor when they exited the lift was also clear.

"Why's it so quiet?" Han wondered. "You'd think this place would be crawling with stormtroopers."

Leia shrugged. "Overconfidence? I guess Luke thinks his security measures are so effective they'll stop anyone getting in without authorisation so there's no need of guards inside." She shot him a smile. "I'm sure they'll turn up eventually."

They were in a pod access corridor, lined with doors which led to the Senate pods in the main chamber. A set of lights above each door showed, for those who were familiar with the system, which pods were attached to the wall, and how many seats in them were free. Soon they would need to enter one of those pods, and then their mission would really begin. But first, they needed to know the broadcast satellite was secure. They fell back into an alcove off the corridor, Han and Page keeping both directions covered.

"Now we wait," Leia said.

* * *

Team Insight had boarded satellite HN-12, and their mission was well underway. Sel and the other two slicers were efficiently working at the consoles, inputting commands that would allow them to take control of the satellite system and ensure what happened in the Senate was broadcast in full and uncensored. Madine stood at a viewport, watching the progress of the battle outside. Ackbar's fleet was performing its task well, distracting the planetary defence force and ensuring their own mission went unnoticed. So far, neither his gunners nor the assault shuttle had been tested even once. Though that was sure to change once it became clear they had taken control of the Holonet systems.

"How much longer?" he asked, and Sel shook her head.

"Difficult to tell. Each barrier we break, we find another one. Could be a minute; if we're unlucky, could be an hour."

"You can't be more precise than that?"

"Only by adding a second for every second I spend talking to you."

Madine smiled despite the tension, activating his comlink. "Flyer, what's happening groundside?"

Wedge's voice came back. "Team Ghost is in place, just waiting for your confirmation. Any idea …"

Madine laughed. "Could be any moment. I'll update you as soon as I can. Insight out."

"Copy, Insight. Standing by."

* * *

"Shouldn't Insight be in place by now?" Han asked.

"They should," Leia replied. "I'm not worrying yet, but we can't afford to hang around here too long. We may have to go ahead without them."

"You sure that's wise?" Page asked, but she didn't have to answer him. Her comlink chimed, and Wedge's voice sounded. "Team Ghost, sorry for the delay. Team Insight has secured the target. You have a go."

Leia smiled. "Copy, Flyer," she replied. "We're going in."

She led them round the corridor a short way until she found a pod that was empty, and input the access code they'd been given by Senator Davale. Han tensed for a moment, wondering what they would do if the code didn't work. But then there was a click, and the door slid open. They stepped into the pod, and Han paused for a moment, overwhelmed by the sheer scale of the Senate chamber. Leia paused too, but for different reasons. She was remembering when she'd last been here, when she was a naive young Senator who'd thought she could change things from the inside. It seemed a very long time ago.

She sighed. "Everybody ready? This ride could get bumpy."

Han and the team all confirmed, and she pushed the button that informed the system she wanted to speak. The pod detached from the wall, moving slowly toward the centre of the chamber, as an electronic voice boomed out.

"The chair recognises the delegate from … there are no delegates in that pod. Security alert!"

Leia ignited her lightsaber and Han and the others drew their blasters as the pod came to a sudden halt and security drones began to zip toward them from all directions. Protective shields went up around all the pods, except for theirs.

"I was the delegate from Alderaan," Leia said, calmly deflecting blaster bolts from the drones as she spoke. "I am the sister of Lord Starkiller. I have a right to speak."

"Security override from the Prime Councillor accepted. The chair recognises the former delegate from Alderaan."

The drones withdrew, and she signalled Han and the team to lower their blasters. She deactivated her lightsaber, but kept it in her hand. As the pod continued on its journey toward the centre of the chamber, her eyes sought out the Prime Councillor's pod. Starkiller was in there, flanked by Vader and Sate Pestage. Pestage was looking distinctly nervous, but Vader and Starkiller were unreadable.

"What are you doing here, Leia?" Starkiller demanded.

"I came to see you, brother," she said. "And Vader, of course. But mainly I've come to give the galaxy what I think it deserves: the truth."

She heard the outcry from the other pods in the chamber, consternation and confusion as the senators began to realise that Leia Organa, the former senator from Alderaan, widely believed killed during the Rebellion, was not only still alive, but the sister of Lord Starkiller. How could this be? And how, _why_ was she armed with a lightsaber? Was she a Jedi? Did that mean Starkiller was a Jedi, as well?

"Keep alert," Leia warned Han quietly. "They could turn those drones back on at any time." He nodded, his gaze flicking between the drones and the Prime Councillor's pod.

Starkiller deactivated the microphone in his pod, and turned to talk to Vader and his Grand Vizier. Pestage was furious. "What is the meaning of this?" he demanded. "Your sister is Leia Organa? One of the most wanted enemies of the Empire? Then who the hell are you? Vader, did you know about this?"

"Of course I did," he confirmed.

"Well, what are you going to do about it?" Pestage looked from one black-clad figure to the other, fear taking an icy grip on his heart. Suddenly, this pod was the last place in the galaxy he wanted to be. Starkiller was floundering, Vader didn't seem to care what happened, and either of them could kill him with a thought. But the most dangerous person in the room right now was Leia Organa. "She can't be allowed to speak!" he exclaimed, and dived for the security panic button.

But Starkiller caught his arm in an iron grip before he could reach the button, and twisted until Pestage was forced to take his seat. "Don't make me kill you," he warned.

He reactivated the microphone. "This is not the place for a family reunion," he said. "Leia, why don't you come to my office and we can talk? The broadcast feed was cut the moment the security system was activated. No-one's going to hear your 'truth'."

"If no-one's going to hear it, then why not talk here?" she asked. While she could feel the feed was still up right now, she didn't know how long Insight would be able to keep it up, so it was imperative she moved things along as quickly as possible. "Senators, don't you think you have a right to know the true identity of the man who is ruling the galaxy? That man is part of a conspiracy that goes back decades, a conspiracy put in place by Palpatine long before he was Emperor, a conspiracy to give the galaxy to the rule of the Sith."

"I am no Sith!" Starkiller protested.

"Oh, no? Because you don't call yourself Darth? What's in a name, _Starkiller_?" She could feel the Senators hanging on her words, and beyond that, many millions more watching this on the Holonet, their numbers swelling by the second, all their energies in the Force contributing to her strength, driving her on.

"It's time for everyone to be who they are," she said. "Darth Vader used to be a Jedi, a hero of the Clone Wars, named Anakin Skywalker." She raised her hand against the cries of shock and confusion. "Wait. He is also our father. I am his daughter. And Lord Starkiller is his son, Luke Skywalker, the man who destroyed the first Death Star, and the Jedi who killed the Emperor."

Pestage was back on his feet, frantic. "She's insane! This can't go on." He reached for the panic button again, and this time he got to it. The drones sprang back to life in the same instant as Starkiller ignited his lightsaber and cut down his Grand Vizier. Vader could have been an empty suit for all the reaction he showed.

"Leia, you fool!" Luke yelled. "Are you trying to commit suicide?"

She laughed as she continued to bat blaster bolts from the security drones back at them. "There is no try!"

* * *

Sasugi Lindstub stared at her monitor in bafflement, hardly able to believe her eyes. She'd been in the middle of a routine business news round-up when the feed had suddenly switched to a live broadcast from the Senate chamber. And then all hell had broken loose. The feed was on every channel, broadcasting to every live Holonet terminal in the galaxy. Her earpiece was full of panic, producers demanding to know what was happening, techs protesting they couldn't access the satellite controls. Someone realised the Rebels must have taken one of the satellites, called for a senior tech, reported it to security. She was only half-listening to the uproar, unable to tear her eyes away from the screen. This was _real_, she realised. This was really happening. There were Rebels in the Senate chamber, and not just any Rebels: Leia Organa, who said she was Darth Vader's daughter and Lord Starkiller's sister. And Starkiller wasn't Starkiller at all, he was Skywalker, he was a Rebel, a Jedi … he had killed the Emperor. If it was true … if it was true, then Starkiller had lied to her from the beginning, he had lied to everyone. And Vader had lied to them before that, and Palpatine before him. Was it true, could it _possibly_ be true, that the whole Empire had been built on a lie?

She became aware of her director's voice in her ear. "Sasugi! Sasugi, wake up! We're back on air. We can't cut the feed, but we can put your voice over it. Say something, calm it down somehow, tell them it's not real, it's a Rebel trick or something. Sasugi!"

For a moment, she hesitated. Then she reactivated the microphone, taking a deep breath. "Welcome back to Holonet News, I'm Sasugi Lindstub. Viewers, I don't know what you're thinking, but I can assure you that what you're seeing is_ real_." She pulled out her earpiece, ignoring the angry spluttering of her director. "This is a live, unedited feed from the Senate chamber. Tell your friends, tell everyone you know. You _need_ to watch this. If you've missed anything, I'll quickly recap for you. Leia Organa of Alderaan is not dead. She is a Jedi, and so is Lord Starkiller, her brother …"

* * *

"Leia!" The drone blasts were still coming thick and fast, and Han, Page and the others were struggling, even if Leia wasn't. "We can't keep this up forever," Han told her. "We need to get those drones turned off."

"Don't worry," she said. "Luke's just playing with us. He doesn't want us destroyed. Not yet, anyway."

"That's comforting," Han said, sounding anything but comforted. "While the alert's on, we can't use the chip," he reminded her.

"I know!"

Starkiller watched them defend themselves against the drones, Vader standing implacable at his side. What should he do? He should call the guards, and have them taken down, but that would mean Leia might die. He could not allow that. The one thing he knew, the one thing he'd always known, was that he could not let Leia die. But what if she took down his Empire? He couldn't let her do that either. He was frozen by indecision.

"What is your plan, my son?" Vader asked, his voice icily calm. "I feel your uncertainty. Now is the time to choose: her life, or the galaxy."

Starkiller turned to look at him, his panic growing. "I can't make that choice. I can't let Leia die. But what can I do? I don't know what to do!"

Vader took a small step back. "I cannot help you. You have the power now, as you wished. Now you must decide how to use it."

Starkiller's anger rose. "You!" he exclaimed, realisation suddenly hitting him. "You lied to me. You _were_ plotting with her! You were in on this!"

Vader shook his head. "No," he said. "I merely allowed her to -" He defended himself instinctively, without even wanting to, as Starkiller ignited his lightsaber and swung at him. In the confines of the pod, and with Pestage's body on the floor, it was an awkward, difficult fight. They struggled together, their sabers locked.

"Don't do this, my son," Vader told him. "You have lost. Surrender to your sister, and you can be at peace again."

"There is no peace!" he shouted. "Whatever I did, however hard I tried, there was never peace. It's _your_ fault!"

Leia saw them fighting, and knew that if she did not do something, one of them would die. She needed to turn off the alert system, it was the only way she could get to them. But if she took her concentration off the drones for long enough to do that through the Force, her pod would be overwhelmed. There was only one thing she could do.

Reaching out in the Force, she called to Vader, imploring him to cancel the security alert. It was dangerous for him too, she knew. Removing his concentration from Luke for even a second could spell his doom. But he did it. Lunging at Luke with all his strength, he knocked him off balance, giving him the second he needed to cut the alert.

The drones withdrew, and they could control their pod again. Han grabbed the controls, quickly guiding it closer to the Prime Councillor's pod. Luke and Vader were fighting again. Luke's sense in the Force was a maelstrom of anger, betrayal and confusion. She longed to help him, but she had made a promise, and she would keep it.

Feeling sick, she pulled out the all-important datachip and fed it into the pod's console.

"Senators," she said quickly, "I am inputting evidence which backs up everything I've told you, and more. I ask you to consider this evidence carefully, and then to ask yourselves whether you still think Starkiller is fit to lead the galaxy. If you consider the information valuable, I would like you to vote to enter it into the public record, so it will be accessible to all the people of the galaxy." The console pinged as the upload finished. She nodded to Han. "Mission accomplished."

"Let's go," he said. The pod was close enough now. Leia called to Luke, and he looked round at her. She held out her hand. "Luke, come with us," she said. "Please."

"What have you done?" he demanded. "Why? You betrayed me!" Giving his fight with Vader no further thought, he stepped to the edge of the pod, jumping across to hers. But their sabers never met. The moment his feet landed in the pod, Han shot him with a stun blast and he fell to the floor.

"Go, go, go!" Leia yelled, even as she bent to check on her brother. Page had taken over the controls, and was already guiding the pod back to the wall as fast as it would go. She looked back at the Prime Councillor's pod. Vader was still standing there, his lightsaber deactivated now. He was looking right at her. Slowly, he raised his hand in a gesture of farewell. She hesitated for just a second, then returned the gesture.

As the pod docked, the two commandoes lifted Luke's body between them. Leia's eyes met Han's for a second, but there was no time to speak. They ran for the lift as a squad of stormtroopers came around the curve of the corridor toward them.

Leia pulled out her comlink as Han covered her, returning the troopers' fire. "Wedge! Mission accomplished. We're on our way to the roof."

His voice came back gratifyingly fast. "Copy, Ghost. Already on my way. You know, you look good in holos." Even in the middle of a firefight and a desperate escape, Leia discovered she could still laugh.

The _Millennium Falcon_ was already hovering over the Senate building's roof when they got there. Unfortunately, so were several TIE fighters, though the _Falcon_'s gunners were managing to hold them off. Seeing their small band, a couple of the fighters decided to take potshots at the roof, though they couldn't possibly target anything as small as a person with any accuracy. "Don't they know they're shooting at their Prime Councillor?" Han yelled.

"Maybe they don't care any more," Leia shouted back, pausing to deflect blaster bolts from several stormtroopers who had followed them to the roof. The _Falcon_ was already lowering itself to land, the ramp opening as it went. "Go!" she yelled to Han. "I'll cover you."

For once, he didn't argue. She held off the stormtroopers until the rest of the team was on the ship, retreating slowly toward the ramp as she did so. Once they were clear, she bolted for the _Falcon_, and was yelling for Wedge to take off as soon as her feet hit the metal.

Han raced for the cockpit, as she followed the men carrying Luke to the medical bunk, and secured her brother in restraints. Of course, she knew the restraints would not hold him should he choose to attempt an escape, but just as she had known back in the Imperial Palace, he would know escape was pointless when there was nowhere to go. She hit the intercom to the cockpit. "What's happening up there?"

Han's voice came back. She smiled, realising he was already back in the pilot's seat. "TIEs in pursuit, nothing too serious. We're nearly out of the atmosphere, shouldn't be too long before we can make hyper. How's the kid?"

"Secure, stable and still out. I'm going to stay with him."

"Copy." He cut the connection, as she felt a laser blast bounce off the shields. There would be a blockade, but the Alliance fleet was up there, and she was confident Han could evade any tractor beams long enough to make the jump to lightspeed. She turned her attention to Luke. The tables were turned now: he was in the same position she had been in when she'd woken in her cell on the _Executor_. She didn't expect him to be any more receptive to her than she had been to him back then. But she still wanted to make it as easy for him as she could.

She unfastened and removed his mask, feeling a throb of sadness as his familiar face was revealed. "Oh, Luke," she whispered. "I'm so sorry."

* * *

Darth Vader, left alone in the Prime Councillor's pod except for the body of Sate Pestage, wearily surveyed the chaos in the Senate chamber as the senators began to digest the information Leia had uploaded. He sighed, then shrugged and activated the controls to retract the pod, riding it back down into the Prime Councillor's office. He had had enough of government, more than enough. It was up to the Senate now, they could do what they wanted.

A secretary hurried into the office. "Lord Vader, what are your instructions? The Rebels took one of the Holonet News satellites, the whole thing was broadcast. What should we do?"

Leaving Pestage's body where it lay, Vader didn't even break stride as he walked out of the office, and the man was forced to hurry to keep up with him. "Do nothing," he said. "The Empire has been decapitated again. Let it die this time."

"But -" the secretary stammered, hardly able to believe what he was hearing.

Vader continued walking. "Call a speeder for me," he said. "I am leaving."

"But, Lord Vader … the Ruling Council … what should I tell them?"

"Tell them they rule no more."


	11. Fall of an Empire: Part 4

**FOUR**

Leia sat on the floor in the medical area, watching Luke and waiting for him to wake. Moments ago, the _Falcon_ had entered hyperspace, and now Wedge popped his head around the corner. "Is he still out?" he asked. "Okay if I join you for a while?"

She nodded. "Sure. But just for a little while. He should come round soon, and I want to be alone with him when he does."

He nodded, sitting down beside her. "We got away from Coruscant no problem," he told her, "and Han notified the fleet it was mission accomplished before we left. They should have been able to get away all right too."

"That's good. How long before we get to Dagobah?"

"Is that where we're going? Couple of hours, tops. You think going there will help him?"

She sighed. "I hope so. It should remind him where he started, what he wanted when he first became a Jedi. It might help him find his way back." She looked around at her brother, lost in her thoughts for a moment.

"What happened to him, Leia?" Wedge asked. "What made him change so much? He was my friend. I never would have thought it was even possible for him to join the Empire."

Leia sighed. "Vader," she said simply. "Vader played on his desire to know his father, and to understand him. If I'd realised how vulnerable he was, I could have done more …"

"It wasn't your fault," Wedge said quietly. "But to join the Empire, to end up ruling it … how could he do that?"

She shook her head sadly. "He had good intentions. He really did think he was doing the right thing, to begin with. I tried to talk him round, but Vader stopped me getting close enough to him to make any difference. And then it was too late. I couldn't reach him any more."

Wedge gave her a small, sympathetic smile. "I hope you can reach him now. Bring him back to us. I've missed him. We all have."

She returned his smile. "Thanks, Wedge."

On the bunk, Luke stirred, and Leia sensed him moving back to consciousness. She stood up, and Wedge did too. "I'll leave you to talk to him," he said, and she nodded.

As he left, Leia moved closer to the bunk, to make sure Luke would see her when he woke.

His eyes opened. "Leia!" he exclaimed. "What do you think you're doing?" He looked around. "Where am I? Is this -?"

"The _Falcon_," she nodded. "I'm sorry we had to knock you out, but you wouldn't come with us voluntarily."

"How did you do it?" he demanded. "How did you convince Father to help you?"

Leia shook her head. "I didn't need to," she said quietly. "When he caught up with us on Ealor, he'd already decided that you were a bad thing for the galaxy, he just didn't know how to stop you. I told him dealing with you was my responsibility, and asked him to stay out of it. He agreed."

"You're lying." But even as he said it, he could feel she was not. His gloved hands clenched into fists. Vader - his _father_ - had betrayed him. After all this time, after encouraging him, coercing him and goading him into becoming Prime Councillor, after forcing him to keep Leia locked up and convincing him she was a toxic influence on him, now he'd decided to work with Leia against him!

"Why?" he demanded, genuinely baffled. "Why would he turn against me? You must have done something … or someone did. Was it Yoda? Did Yoda turn him?"

"No, Luke, you're not listening. Search your feelings, I'm telling you the truth. He realised he'd made a mistake in doing what he did to you. In a way, you've achieved what you originally set out to do."

"What? What are you talking about?"

"You've turned him away from the dark side. Seeing what it did to you made him realise where he went wrong. He was even willing to die if it meant I could bring you back."

His voice was barely a whisper. "I don't believe you."

"You can ask him yourself. When we get to where we're going, you're free to contact him, or whoever else you want to. You can call down the entire Imperial fleet on us if you wish. But I don't think you will."

"Oh, really? And what makes you so sure of that?"

She looked into his eyes. "You're Luke Skywalker."

He went to cover his face with his hands, realised they were still bound. Leia made a small gesture, and his bonds fell away. He sat up, staring at her. He was the Prime Councillor of the Empire. He was Lord Starkiller, hero of the galaxy. Or he had been. Now he was a prisoner of his enemies. And his sister was in his head. He felt her familiar calming presence, completely honest and open, offering him her friendship and her comfort. She held out her hand to him. He frowned, suddenly confused. "You told them who I am," he murmured.

"The people had a right to know who they 'elected'," she told him. "The whole Empire has been based on a lie, you know that. It's time to stop lying. If they still want you now they know who you are, then so be it. But I couldn't let things go on as they were."

"You've ruined everything," he growled. She felt his anger building, like a storm in the Force. "Everything I've worked for. You said you didn't want it! But you couldn't stand it, could you? Seeing me rule, while you were powerless. You had to ruin it, because you were jealous."

"No, Luke," she insisted quietly. "That's not it at all. I never wanted that power. Look what it's done to you. You've become cruel, and arrogant, and isolated … all the things a Jedi shouldn't be. Your rule has been based on deception and fear, just like the Emperor's. Even Vader sees that now."

"If that is what Father thinks, why hasn't he told me so himself?"

"Because he's afraid of you. He knows how powerful you are. You destroyed the Emperor. He knew one day you would turn on him too. That is the way of the Sith, after all."

"I am _not_ a Sith!"

"Good. Then what are you? A Jedi?"

He paused a moment. "No. The people would not accept the rule of a Jedi. I had to give that up, at least in public."

"Deception," she shook her head. "Deception motivated by fear. The _Empire_ would not accept the rule of a Jedi, that's true. The people … that's something else." She took a step closer. "What did we fight for, when you were part of the Alliance?" she asked. "To restore the Republic, to give the galaxy back to the people. The old Republic was corrupt, that's how Palpatine was able to take it over. The Empire was corrupt, that's how you were able to take it over. The system is not viable. The Ruling Council needs to be disbanded, the Moffs removed, power handed back to individual systems, and a full, democratically-elected Senate, that can openly and honestly elect a new leader, needs to be put in place. If you step down, the way is clear for all that. And that is what I want. What the Alliance wants."

"You could have done that, in the beginning! It was offered to you a year ago - you wouldn't do it."

She shook her head sadly. "It wouldn't have worked then. Vader would have fought me all the way, the Ruling Council would have supported him. I would have ended up where you are now. I tried to stop you … Luke, tell me the Empire is what you really want? Tell me you don't have doubts?"

He looked at her. "The only time I ever had doubts was when I talked to you. Father told me to stop seeing you, but I couldn't. It was only after you were kidnapped that I started to see things more clearly."

"I wasn't kidnapped, Luke," she said softly. "That was just the story you told. I was rescued. But it's true that taking me out of the picture allowed you to go further on that path than you would have otherwise."

She took another step closer, held out her hand again. "But you can still come back."

He moved away. "I don't trust you. I can't see where it will end."

Leia realised she had pushed him as far as she could for now. "It's okay," she said, withdrawing her hand. "We have time. Do you want me to leave you alone for a while, so you can meditate? Think about it?"

He looked down, nodded slowly.

"Okay. I'll be in the lounge, if you want me."

She left the medical area. Two of Wedge's team had stationed themselves as guards in the corridor. She smiled at them. "He's not a threat, remember. If he starts waving his saber around, stun him, but don't stop him if he wants to go somewhere."

"You sure about this, your highness?"

"Absolutely. Any trouble, call me, but there won't be."

She walked away. The two men exchanged a look, then shrugged. They hoped she was right.

* * *

After Leia left the room, Luke lay down again on the bunk, wrapping his arms around himself. He didn't really want to meditate on his situation, in fact it was the last thing he wanted to be thinking about right now. He just wanted to be left alone. But he couldn't clear his mind of it.

His Starkiller mask was lying on the floor next to the bunk, and he picked it up, thinking of putting it back on. It had been a part of him for so long, it felt like. It seemed like the blank mask was his true identity. And yet, was it? Leia seemed to think not.

Leia … why had she done this? The more he thought about her, the more it seemed like all his troubles stemmed from her. From the moment he'd first spoken to her on the _Executor_, she'd been arguing with him about his choices, trying to make him change his mind. But that was what she did. She was like a spider in a web, weaving threads to capture unwary minds, and then draining them of their disagreements, shaping their thoughts in her image. That was why everyone followed her so unquestioningly, that was the source of her power, that was what made her so dangerous. But she had won … hadn't she? She had walked into his stronghold, exposed him, tricked him into showing himself for what he was, and then kidnapped him. Him, the Prime Councillor of the Empire! It was shameful how easily he had been defeated by her and her acolytes. Han Solo, of course - Luke had_ known_ he wasn't dead. And whoever got her into the Senate building. And the rest of them - she had put the Alliance back together, and brought the whole of its power to bear on him. But for what purpose? Only to take away _his_ power. And his father had helped her … obviously he was jealous of his power too. Leia said she didn't want it, but Vader, that was a different story. What he should be doing right now was running damage control on the whole situation, convincing the Senate that Leia was a madwoman, and reinforcing Starkiller's position, but he wouldn't be. He was probably declaring himself Prime Councillor right now.

Yes, that was Leia's biggest mistake - trusting their father. Luke had worked with him for a year now, and he knew how he thought. Leia thought he had turned - how naive could she be? Vader would never renounce the dark side, never give up the power he had worked so hard to achieve and sacrificed so much for. She was a fool to think it. She had made things worse, not better. When they were out of hyperspace and could access the Holonet again, she would see what a mistake she had made.

* * *

When Leia returned to the medical area, she found him sleeping, his Starkiller mask held loosely in his hands. She gently touched his shoulder.

"Luke? … We're arriving."

He opened his eyes, looked up at her. "Where?"

"Dagobah."

His eyes burned with fury. "Why?"

She sighed. "I want to take you back … remind you of who you used to be. I want to help you find yourself again."

He laughed humourlessly. "Well done. Of course you'd take me to the last place I want to be."

The _Falcon_ lurched violently as it entered the atmosphere, and Leia grabbed the wall to support herself. Luke smirked. "This isn't a hospitable place, you know. You'll be lucky to set down in one piece."

She hit the intercom. "Han?"

His voice was tense. "All the scopes are dead. If you think you can help, get up here!"

She ran for the cockpit, reaching out in the Force as she did so. "We passed through some weird electrical discharge field, some kind of storm or something," Han told her as she arrived. "Can't see a thing."

She nodded, her gaze far away. "Slow down … and stay at this altitude," she advised him. "At the moment, there's only jungle and swamp underneath us. Got to be firmer ground somewhere …" She reached out further, concentrating hard. There was so much life down there … so much Force potential … she could see why Yoda had chosen to make his home here.

"There," she said. "Over to port, about 30 degrees. 300 clicks ahead. There's a big enough clearing to set down in."

"You sure?" Han asked. Chewbacca howled a reprimand. Hadn't he seen enough of Leia's power yet to trust her? Han shook his head. "All right, sorry. I can't get used to trusting something I can't see."

"Well done," came another voice, a grudging one. Luke had followed her to the cockpit.

Han's shoulders tensed visibly, but he said nothing, keeping his eyes on the viewport, searching for a break in the fog to show him the clearing Leia had found. Chewbacca growled, greeting Luke, but he didn't acknowledge it. Leia looked at him. "Thank you," she said simply. He merely shrugged.

Han started the landing cycle, lowering the _Falcon_ to what he hoped was clear ground. But he needn't have worried, as they landed safely, getting their first look at the Dagobah jungle as they did.

"Lovely vacation spot," Han commented. Leia smiled, squeezing his shoulder, discreetly brushing her fingers across his cheek as she turned back to Luke.

"Shall we go outside? You can introduce me to the place."

He just glared at her, but followed her to the hatch. The mist and humidity of Dagobah enveloped them as they descended the ramp. "Reminds me of Mimban," Leia murmured, and Luke found himself smiling despite himself. He'd thought the same thing when he was first here.

"There's so much _life_," she continued, as she moved away from the ship. "It's a wild place."

Luke nodded. "Oppressive, isn't it?"

She shook her head. "No, not at all. It's … impressive, awe-inspiring … but not oppressive."

He shrugged. "Can we go back inside? You said I could use the Holonet."

"Okay … if that's what you want."

"It is. I'm supposed to rule this galaxy, I want to know what's happening to my government."

He found out it was his government no more. The Ruling Council had fled, not even bothering to officially resign their positions, and Vader had simply walked out, giving no official statement. When Luke realised what had happened in the Senate chamber had been broadcast in its entirety, he was furious. He looked at Leia, meeting her eyes with a gaze so intense it burned. "You got me pretty good, didn't you? I guess I don't rule the galaxy after all."

He walked away, heading for the hatch. She let him go.

Han looked at Leia, raised an eyebrow. "That went well."

She shrugged sadly. "He had to find out sooner or later. It was never my intention to deceive him."

He nodded. "I'm going to contact the Alliance, if that's okay. Let them know we arrived safely, and arrange for a pickup for the team."

"Sure." She went after Luke, finding him just outside, sitting with his back to a tree. He was fiddling idly with his gloves, which he had removed.

He looked up as she approached. "Don't say you did it for my own good," he growled.

She smiled gently. "I won't. I actually did it for the good of the galaxy."

His anger still hovered around him like a cloud. "We have different opinions on what's good for the galaxy, you know," he told her.

She sat down with him. "The kind of oppression you were imposing wasn't good for the galaxy."

"In _your_ opinion."

She sighed. "In most people's opinions," she said, "except for maybe hardline Imperials. You have to let go, Luke. Forget what Vader told you, forget what the Ruling Council says. You've seen they've fled like the cowards they are, and Vader wants no more part of any of it. There's only you left."

He met her eyes. "At one time, there was only you left," he reminded her. "Did that change your opinion?"

"I wasn't alone, though," she told him. "I thought I was, but I wasn't. Yoda came to me, while you had me locked up -"

"I know," he cut her off. "I figured it out, and he admitted it to me himself."

"You've seen him?"

He nodded. "He said all the same things you've been saying. I'm sick of hearing it, to be honest: Luke, you're wrong; Luke, you've lost your way; Luke, you need to be calm and then you'll see the truth …"

"Have you tried that?"

"I don't want to. Whenever I meditated, all I saw was you destroying me, and now you have. What else is there?"

"I haven't destroyed you, Luke," she insisted. "Only Starkiller."

"I _am_ Starkiller."

She shook her head. "No, you're not. You never were. You were always in there, I felt you. Let me in, Luke. Don't hide yourself from me."

He clenched his fists, avoiding her eyes. "I can't."

"You can," she insisted. "Let go, Luke. Don't be afraid."

"I'm not afraid," he said, but he didn't even believe it himself.

She took his hands. It was the first time he had touched the skin of another being in a long time, and it felt like an electric shock. Tears suddenly rose to his eyes, and she felt his pain, but said nothing, instead reaching out to him in the Force, offering again her unconditional support and friendship. For an instant, she felt him, his familiar presence shining through the darkness. Her hands tightened on his, instinctively gripping tighter, as if she could somehow physically pull his soul back into the light. But then he buried himself again, his expression hardening as he pulled away from her.

"Stop it!" he snapped. "Leave me alone. Don't you see what you're doing? It's the same thing you thought was so wrong when I was doing it to you."

"I see similarities," she conceded. "But it's not the same. And I'm not going to let you go, Luke. You saved my life. But you paid a terrible price for doing it."

His eyes met hers. He remembered it, the very moment: Leia was dying, he had felt it. He'd felt her pain, felt her consciousness slipping away, felt her thoughts turn to Han one last time, regretting what they would now never have. And then giving up. And he knew he couldn't let it happen. He had to stop it, he had to save her, and he knew he would do anything, _anything_ to save his sister's life. Her pain was intense, it was hurting him too, but he didn't close it off, he used it, channelled it through his connection to the Force, feeling it make him stronger. Palpatine was distracted; intent on what he was doing to Leia, he neither saw nor felt Luke approaching. He'd looked at the old man in that moment, and sudden fury had burned in him, rage like he had never felt. His arms seemed to act of their own accord, thrusting his saber into the Emperor's back, hacking and slashing at him blindly until suddenly he realised the room had grown silent, that he was the only one still moving. He'd stopped, and seen what he had done. He'd looked at Leia, as she lifted her head, and he'd seen the horror in her eyes as she met his.

"You looked at me like I was a monster," he whispered.

"I'm sorry."

"What else could I have done?" he demanded impatiently. "Should I have let you die?"

"I don't know."

"What would you have done, if it was the other way round? Would you have let me die? Maybe you would."

Leia bit her lip. She wanted to tell him she wouldn't, but truly, she didn't know. It was a horrible thought, one she didn't want to have, but ultimately, though it hurt her to think so, whether she would have let her brother die or not wasn't important. That wasn't how it had gone, and they had to deal with what had happened, not what could have happened.

"I don't know," she whispered again. "I know that was where it all started to go wrong, but that's all I know for sure."

He suddenly stood, exasperated, and started pacing. "None of this was ever about me, was it? It was all you and Father. The two of you fighting over the galaxy. I should have seen it. That's why you wanted each other dead. I was just the pawn in the whole thing."

Leia stood too. "It's not your fault, Luke," she told him. "I didn't realise how much you wanted Vader as a father figure … I didn't realise how vulnerable you were …"

"Vulnerable?!" he exclaimed. "This is ridiculous! I ruled the galaxy - up until a few hours ago. But you think I'm just some lost little boy looking for his daddy!"

"No," she insisted. "You're misunderstanding -"

He threw up his hand, and she only just gathered herself in time to resist the wave of pressure that he threw at her. She stumbled backward, almost falling. Luke stood staring at her, fury in his eyes. Han came running down the _Falcon_'s ramp, heading for Leia. Luke's look brought him up short, but he showed no fear. "I don't care who you are, kid, you hurt her and so help me I'll -"

"Han!" Leia stopped him. "It's okay. I'm okay. Go back inside."

"No," Luke cut in, his voice flat. "Don't go back inside, Han. Stay. I'll leave." He turned and walked from the clearing, into the jungle without so much as a backward glance.

Leia looked at Han. "I'm sorry," he said, trying to forestall her reprimand. "I know, I overreacted."

She shook her head. "It doesn't matter. He was going to take off on his own anyway, you didn't change anything."

"Are you going to go after him?"

"A little later. I'll take him some food and supplies. I think he needs time on his own right now."

He took her in his arms. "You really think you can bring him back?"

She leaned on his chest, sighing deeply. "I have to."

* * *

Luke stalked into the jungle, not knowing where he was going or why, just knowing he wanted to get away from Leia, as well as from Han, Chewbacca, and whoever else was on the _Falcon_.

_Dagobah_, he thought with disgust. She had to bring him here, didn't she? This place held so many memories for him, memories of when he was here with Yoda, training in the ways of the Jedi, learning about his past, and his destiny. But Yoda had told him about none of this. He had not warned him how it would feel when everyone turned against him, given him no advice on how to deal with betrayal by the people he held most dear, people who he had worked to save who now could only tell him how wrong he was.

"Why?" he murmured. "Did you know this would happen? What am I supposed to _do_ now?"

Ahead of him, on a rock, Yoda's shimmering image coalesced. "You are lost, Luke," the Jedi master told him. "Need to find your way, you do."

"But _how_?"

"You know how," came another voice, as Obi-Wan Kenobi appeared standing next to Yoda. "But you need to let go of your fear, and your anger."

Luke ignored the advice. "Did you know this would happen?" he asked again. "Tell me the truth."

Yoda looked down. "A possibility, it always was," he said slowly. "But chose your own path, you did. Leia, too, could have chosen the path you did, but she did not."

"Of course not," Luke snapped. "Leia always did everything right, didn't she?"

Yoda was unmoved by his anger. "Trained her well, you did."

That brought him up short. He remembered how hesitant Leia had been at first, about training as a Jedi, how worried she had been that she would repeat their father's mistakes. And how he had promised her that he would never let her fall to the dark side. Nobody had made him the same promise.

"You let it happen," he said. "You didn't care what happened to me, as long as I killed the Emperor. If I died, if I turned, it didn't matter. Just as long as I fulfilled my _destiny_. That was all you cared about."

"That … _was_ the most important thing," Obi-Wan admitted. "But do not think it was the only thing we cared about. We did not want you to fall. We tried to prepare you …"

"Do or do not," Luke snapped back, and Yoda nodded sadly. "Yes, failed you we did," he said. "But do not fail yourself."

"It's too late," he murmured.

"No," Yoda insisted. "Convinced you were, that your father could be turned. And right, you were. Seeing you make the same mistakes he did brought him to see the truth. If turn back from the dark side he could, then so can you."

Luke sat down, suddenly feeling weak. Tears were in his eyes. His hands went to his face. "Go away," he said, "both of you. I don't want to talk to you any more."

Obligingly, they disappeared. Luke shook his head, overwhelmed with despair. He didn't want to deal with it any more, any of it. He just wanted to disappear, to sleep, to get away from everything, including himself. He sat there for a long time, doing nothing but hurting, and then he suddenly stood up. He started running, and he ran as if the entire Imperial army was chasing him, through the jungle, crashing through the undergrowth, not even seeing what was around him. Getting hot, he ripped off his heavy Starkiller jacket, dropping it behind him, and continued to run. He stopped only when he began to feel something familiar, a sense in the Force that he recognised. A chill.

… The cave. He shivered, looking around him. The dark side cave that Yoda had sent him into during his training, the test he had failed. It was nearby, and it was drawing him to it, inviting him in. He shivered again, remembering the last time he'd gone in there. He'd ended up fighting what he'd thought was Vader, and when he'd defeated him, his mask had split open to reveal Luke's own face. He hadn't understood the vision then, and he still didn't now. But he had an overwhelming desire to try again, to find out what the cave could offer him this time …

He entered the cave slowly, his lightsaber hanging at his waist. Remembering Yoda's advice from last time, he told himself he didn't want to leave it outside unattended, where it could be taken, eaten or used to decorate a nest by some critter, but really he just didn't want to be without it.

The atmosphere in the cave was familiarly cold, and yet somehow this time welcoming. It seemed to sense the change in him, and recognise him as like itself. He wasn't sure how he felt about that. He was finally recognising that he had done things that could be described as dark, and he knew he had exploited dark side powers, but he still believed his reasons made his actions justifiable. There had always been a small voice that whispered to him sometimes, which suggested that he was wrong, that whatever the ends, they could not justify the means he had used, but he always dismissed it as the influence of Leia: her attitude, her doubts. In here though, the voice was suppressed, drowned out by a muffling cloud of darkness. Last time, he had resisted it; this time, he was more ambivalent. The dark. He still, despite everything, did not want to become part of the dark. And yet it supported him, it told him he was right, it was the only thing not criticising him.

Ahead of him, a glimmer of light became visible through the murk, and he followed it. It was reddish, dim and cold, yet somehow welcoming, like everything else. It seemed to recede as he advanced, always staying just ahead of him. He followed it in deeper, vaguely wondering how far the cave went, whether it ever reached the surface again. Last time, he had turned back, so he had never explored the whole thing.

Rounding a corner, he found the source of the light. It was a lightsaber, held in the hands of someone who was still obscured from his view. He took his own saber from his belt, stepping forward cautiously. The other person stepped forward at the same time.

He didn't recognise her at first. In the strange, dim light it took a moment for her features to resolve.

"Leia!"

She did not speak. He shook his head, feeling foolish. "Of course you're not really Leia. You're the same thing that appeared to me as Vader last time. What are you? How are you here?"

She stepped forward, swinging her saber. He ignited his own, defending himself from her attack, but did not want to strike back against her. Whether it was Leia or not, he did not want to destroy her, he could not bear the thought of seeing her hurt at his hand. But she continued to attack, and he had to fight back.

He began to panic, his breathing coming fast and hard, his eyes blurring with tears. "Leia - whatever you are - stop," he begged. "Don't do this. I don't want to hurt you."

Suddenly she was right in front of him, her saber locked with his, her eyes burning into his. Her mouth moved, as if she was speaking, but the sound that came out was not intelligible, it was just a horrible, nightmarish hissing. Luke felt horror and fear, irrational, primeval fear such as he had never felt before. His heartbeat rushed in his ears, deafening him as he instinctively recoiled from the vision, backing away from her.

And that was when she killed him. He crumpled to the ground, feeling his life end, feeling his soul disperse into the Force. And then there was nothing.

He gasped, regaining consciousness with a start. He could not tell how long it had been. He wasn't wearing a chrono, and the dark of the cave was absolute. His hand went to his chest, where he had felt her lightsaber penetrate, but there was nothing. His shirt was undamaged, his skin unbroken. He was still trembling as he stood up. _What now?_ he asked himself. Last time, traumatised by his vision of Vader, he had gone back, returned to Yoda to ask him what it meant, but there was no-one to go back to this time. Except for … except for Leia.

A lump rose in his throat again. Leia. He missed her so much. He wanted to go back, seek her out, beg her forgiveness, take back the whole of the last year and be how they had been before it all went wrong. But he couldn't … could he? Surely too much had happened for that to be possible. Surely she wouldn't want to take him back, after what he'd done. He had done … horrible things. Dark things. He had killed people without a second thought, he had authorised torture, massacres, murders, how could she forgive him for any of that?

He sat down again, despairing. He hung his head and closed his eyes, trying to touch the Force despite the pervading darkness in the cave. It no longer felt so welcoming in here, he noticed. The cold seemed to press on him, making him shrink into himself, tensing his muscles against the chill. He was freezing. It felt colder than Hoth. He couldn't move, didn't want to move, couldn't even shiver. He was dying again, he thought, but this time it was real.

Desperately, he reached out for the Force again, trying to find Leia. _Help me_, he begged. _Leia, help me. I need you. Save me._ There was no reply. He gave up. He had tried, but trying counted for nothing. He had failed. Failed at everything. Strangely, realising that brought him some peace, at last. He let out his breath in a long sigh. _Goodbye, Leia. I'm sorry …_

_

* * *

_

Leia had gone out searching for Luke as evening approached. To begin with, he had been easy to track, but as his pace had increased, it had become more difficult. She was beginning to think she had lost his trace completely, when suddenly she stopped, her breath catching in her throat as a sudden wave of cold assailed her through the Force. It carried with it Luke's last thoughts, his hopeless regrets for a lifetime's mistakes. "No!" she breathed, looking around desperately, reaching out for him, but unable to find anything other than the cold. She set off in the direction it was coming from, hurrying toward what she hoped was him, praying she wasn't too late.

"Don't do this, Luke," she murmured as she ran. "Don't let go." But she got nothing back.

She almost missed the entrance to the cave in her hurry, and realising that made her slow down and think for a moment. Rushing into things was not good. Luke was in some kind of trouble in there, and it wouldn't help him if she got into trouble as well. Putting aside her fears that he was already dead, she calmed herself, reaching out to get a sense of what she would face in there. It was a dark place, full of strange and unknowable dangers. But she would have to go in. "You better be okay in there, brother," she murmured. "I'm not doing this for nothing." Taking a deep breath, she descended into the dark.

There was malevolence all around her. The cave - or whatever inhabited it - hated her, she realised. Hated her and wanted to destroy her. And yet, unless she allowed it to, there was nothing it could do. As long as she remained calm and focused, it could not touch her. She concentrated on breathing, deeply and slowly, not allowing the fear and panic to reach her. "I'm here to find Luke," she whispered. "Nothing else." She thought of nothing else, reaching out to him, finding only a tiny whisper of his presence, but it was enough. She followed it, allowing no distractions, ignoring the insects and strange creatures, the odd sounds and flashes of light that assailed her, and the strange thoughts that attempted to distract her. It was exhausting, and she found herself also fighting the urge to give up, get out, forget him, he was already lost. But she fought on, and eventually, there he was.

He was seated on the ground, his hands in his lap, his lightsaber lying at his feet, his head bowed. He wasn't moving, and she couldn't tell if he was even breathing.

"Luke?" Her voice was the ghost of a whisper. She wasn't even completely sure it was him, and not some kind of illusion created by the cave. She approached him slowly, crouching down and reaching out to him. "Luke?"

She touched his hand, and it was cold. She recoiled, a strangled cry escaping her lips. Then she reached for him again, taking his face in her hands and lifting his head, calling his name again. There was no reaction. She felt for a pulse in his neck, and brought his face closer to hers, trying to feel or hear if he was breathing. She still couldn't tell.

She almost panicked then. She had found him, but was it too late? What should she do? There was only one thing she could do, she realised: get him out of here. There was nothing she could do for him in the cave, and getting him out of it might revive him. That was, if he wasn't already dead. But even if he was, she wasn't going to leave him behind. Not now she had found him.

Throwing his arm around her shoulder, she stood up, dragging him with her. She remembered his lightsaber at the last moment, and used the Force to call it to her hand, replacing it on his belt. Too late, she realised that had been a bad idea. The cave's assault on her redoubled, panic and fear pressing down on her, making her wonder why she was putting herself in such danger to retrieve a dead body. "He's my brother!" she shouted. "I don't care if he's dead, I'm not leaving him here."

She started back toward the entrance, feeling like she was fighting her way through a storm, a blizzard of evil. Luke felt like a ton weight on her shoulders, dragging her down. She stumbled, choking, exhausted. But she didn't give up. There was no other option. She would save her brother, or die trying.

The journey seemed to take hours, though realistically she knew it could only have been minutes. Every breath was a struggle, she had to fight for every step she took. But finally, she made it back to the cave entrance. Calling desperately on the Force through the darkness, she somehow managed to manhandle Luke's body up the steep slope and back outside. Gasping with fatigue, she followed, dragging herself back into the warmth of the jungle. Almost falling over Luke's body, she grabbed his arms, hauling him as far away from the cave as she could manage before she collapsed, her strength finally giving out. She tried to take his hand, but couldn't quite reach it. Then, whispering his name once more, she lost consciousness.

* * *

The first thing Luke became aware of was the noise, the sounds of many creatures calling to each other, sounding warnings, greeting or threatening each other, or simply exercising their voices. Then he realised that he wasn't just hearing them, he was feeling them too, in the Force: so many entities, all pursuing their own goals, living their lives, oblivious to anything else. After that, it was the warmth of the air that entered his consciousness, and then the damp of the earth. Wondering why he was lying on the ground in the jungle, he opened his eyes. It was bright, and he squinted. Slowly, things came into focus, and he realised he was looking at someone's leg - there was someone else on the ground. He looked around. "Leia!"

She was unconscious. He sat up, still looking around, trying to figure out what had happened, how they had got here. Then his gaze fell on the entrance to the cave, and his memory returned in a rush. His eyes widened as he realised what had happened.

"Luke?" Her voice was weak. He looked around to see her trying to get up, and moved to help her.

"Careful," he said. "I don't know what you did, but it can't have been easy."

He saw realisation dawn in her eyes as her memory, too, returned. "Luke … are you okay? I thought …"

He shook his head. "Leia … you saved my life," he told her. "I thought I was dead, and I don't know how you did it, but you brought me back. You saved me, Leia." He embraced her, holding her tight, tears running down his cheeks. "You saved me."

She shook her head, hugging him close, crying too. "I couldn't leave you there."

"Thank you," he whispered. And he was thanking her for far more than dragging him out of the cave. He was thanking her for never giving up on him, for never writing him off as lost. He still found it hard to believe that she, or anyone else, could ever forgive him for what he had done, but he no longer felt trapped by it. He felt he had found his way out of the dark.

* * *

Han was beginning to feel a bit twitchy. The Alliance transport which had come to pick up Wedge and the others was in orbit, but he had warned them against trying to land a shuttle, knowing their instruments would be affected by the atmosphere as his had been. He had told them he would bring the team to them when Leia returned to help, but she had been gone all night and was still not back. He had not slept, relying on caf to keep him going through the night, regretting it now that it was light again.

Chewbacca growled a question, and Han shook his head. "Not yet," he said. "Let's give it another hour, and then you can go looking for them. They could have made camp for the night, they could've -" He shook off the Wookiee's protest. "I don't trust this planet," he told him, "and I'd rather not have you running around out there until you really have to."

Chewie shrugged, grumbling, and headed outside. Han was right, he knew. This was an inhospitable place, but to him that made it all the more imperative that he should be out there searching, rather than sitting here waiting for Leia to return. He wandered around the clearing aimlessly. She must be all right, wherever she was. After everything they'd been through, everything they'd achieved, it couldn't possibly go wrong now.

A crashing in the undergrowth attracted his attention, and he snapped alert, lowering his bowcaster, instinctively uttering a soft warning growl to whatever was out there. A moment later, Luke and Leia stumbled into the clearing, supporting each other, and he rushed to meet them, simultaneously yelling for Han.

Leia collapsed into his arms gratefully. "We're okay," she said weakly. "We're both okay."

Chewie wasn't convinced. Sweeping her off her feet, he offered his other arm to Luke, and headed back to the _Falcon_. Han met them at the bottom of the ramp. "What happened?" he demanded, shooting Luke a suspicious look.

Luke shook his head. "She saved my life, Han," he said. "And more than that. She saved everything."

"Bring them to the medbay," Han told Chewie. Leia weakly reached for his hand. "It's okay, Han," she said softly. He shook his head. "I'll believe it when the instruments tell me it," he said grimly.


	12. Epilogue and Notes

**EPILOGUE**

_Welcome to Holonet News, I'm Sasugi Lindstub, and I have to tell you that I'm still surprised to be here, and indeed to still be alive. Viewers, in all my years working for Holonet I have never seen anything like what we have seen over the last few days. It will take some time to fully digest the information that former Senator Leia Organa uploaded, and that the Senate later voted to release into the public domain, but it is clear now that the Empire was entirely built on a lie. For decades, we have been deceived. And now, Lord Vader has left the government, the entire Ruling Council has effectively resigned and fled the planet, and the Empire is in chaos. _

_However, the Senate is still sitting, and despite having no leader, it has already begun repealing and amending many of the laws enacted by Lord Starkiller during his short rule, and releasing many of those imprisoned under those laws. It seems that the ways of the Empire will soon be at an end. There have been protests and demonstrations across the galaxy, and several Moffs have already been deposed or killed. People are already calling for the establishment of a new Republic._

_Of the whereabouts of Lord Starkiller, or perhaps I should say Luke Skywalker, there is still no news. Nor is there any news of the whereabouts of Lord Vader since he left Coruscant. These are strange times, viewers. Strange times. In a moment, I will be interviewing Senator Davale, who has come forward admitting he helped former Senator Organa and her team infiltrate the Senate building. And later, we will have the first official interview with Mon Mothma, the former senator and leader of the Alliance to Restore the Republic. But first, a full account of how the events in the Senate building unfolded. At 13:15 hours, former Senator Organa entered the Senate building with her team … _

* * *

The Super Star Destroyer _Executor_ had arrived in the outer reaches of the Dagobah system. It made Han seriously nervous seeing that beast on his screens, no matter how many times Leia and Luke assured him it was no threat.

Leia grinned at him. She had fully recovered from her ordeal, following a long sleep, and now, a few days later, neither she nor Luke were showing any adverse aftereffects from their experiences. Han didn't fully understand what had happened to them, but it was enough for him to know that they were both alive, and that Luke seemed to be back to his old self. Almost, anyway.

Once Leia was feeling well enough to navigate using the Force, they had taken Wedge, Page and their teams up to the Alliance transport in orbit. The news they received there was good. The fleet had suffered surprisingly few losses at Coruscant, and Madine's team had managed to escape cleanly from the satellite. There was only the _Falcon_'s crew left on Dagobah now, and they were only waiting for one thing before they, too, would be on their way to face the future.

"The Imperial military is under the control of the Senate now," Leia reminded him. "In fact, the way things are going it wouldn't surprise me if you find yourself commanding one of those in the near future."

"Over my dead body," he growled. "Madine promised me an honourable discharge with a full pension, and I'm holding him to it."

She just smiled. C-3PO turned away from the comm station. "Lord Vader's ship is on its way," he said. "I must admit, I share Captain Solo's unease about this situation."

"It's fine, Threepio," Luke assured him. The droid's body language suggested he was less than convinced, but it didn't matter. When Luke had contacted his father and asked him to come here, Vader had assured him he no longer held any official position in the Empire. "Check the screens, Threepio," he advised. "The _Executor_ is already leaving the system."

He was right. Vader's last act as a commander of the Empire had been to commandeer the ship he was now piloting toward Dagobah so he could come to make his peace with his children. He had intended to come directly from Coruscant to Dagobah on that ship, but the crew of the _Executor_, loyal to the last - to Vader, not to the Empire - had insisted on escorting him on his last trip. Now, Vader's flagship, so feared for so long, would return to Coruscant and formally surrender to the Senate, which would eventually decide its fate in the new Republic.

Luke left the cockpit, finding he wanted to be alone. Since he and Leia had returned to the _Falcon_, everyone had been doing their best to pretend everything was back to normal. Wedge had greeted him as if he was simply an old friend he hadn't seen for a while, and even Han, after some initial suspicion, had made an effort to act as if nothing had changed between them.

But Luke knew better. He constantly had Yoda's words ringing in his head: _If once you start down the dark path, forever will it dominate your destiny._ What did that mean? Did it mean he would never be free of the dark? After all, he knew it now, and it knew him. Did it mean he would be fighting the dark for the rest of his life? Would he even be able to fight it? What if he fell again? What if Leia wasn't there to save him next time? He shivered.

"Luke?" Leia had entered the lounge. He looked around. "Father's about to land," she told him. "Shall we go meet him?"

He nodded, allowing her to take his arm as they walked to the hatch. "I'm surprised you're calling him that," he said.

"It's strange," she agreed. "For a long time, I just couldn't, even if I'd wanted to. But then, after I talked to him on Ealor, he seemed … different, and my feelings toward him began to change."

Luke spoke quietly. "And what about me?"

"You?"

"Am _I_ different?"

She stopped, looked at him. "You changed after you killed the Emperor," she said slowly. "You're … more like yourself again now."

"I'm afraid, Leia," he whispered.

"I know."

* * *

Han watched from the cockpit as Vader's ship landed, and the Dark Lord disembarked. He shuddered. If it wasn't the most bizarre situation he had ever been in, then it was pretty damn close. He saw Luke and Leia emerge from the _Falcon_ and walk toward that dark figure … their father. Suddenly not wanting to watch any more, he turned away from the viewport. Chewbacca howled, and he shot his partner a look.

"Don't even _think_ of making any father-in-law jokes, all right?"

Chewie laughed, cuffing him lightly on the shoulder. "I mean it," Han growled. "I'll deal with it, for Leia's sake, but I am _not_ playing happy families with that …" he shook his head, unable to think of a word harsh enough, and left the cockpit.

* * *

Leia, Luke and Vader stood in the clearing, looking at each other awkwardly, no-one knowing quite what to say. Then Vader spoke.

"It is good to see you, my children. I am glad you have both survived."

Leia nodded. "Thank you for your help," she said.

The Dark Lord inclined his head. "I tried not to get in your way," he told her, and she was surprised at the note of humour in his voice. He looked at Luke. "My son," he said. "I am so sorry for what I put you through. I hope one day you will be able to forgive me."

Luke opened his mouth to reply, but couldn't think what to say. He shook his head. "I don't know what to do now," he whispered.

Vader nodded. "I understand. I too must find a new path. Perhaps we could seek one out together?"

Leia's eyes narrowed. "What are you suggesting?"

"I have made grave mistakes," Vader told her sadly. "Since before you were born, I have been prey to the dark side. Now I must begin again, relearn all I had forgotten. I thought perhaps Luke would like to join me on that quest."

Leia looked at her brother, feeling her heart sink as she saw hope light in his eyes again at last. "Yes!" he exclaimed. "Of course." Feeling her uncertainty, he looked around. "It's the only way, Leia, he's right. You brought me out of the dark, but I need to find a way to stay clear of it forever … and you can't help me with that."

"But …"

He took her hands. "I know. You don't want to lose me."

"I just got you back -"

He nodded. "But that's why I have to go. If I stay, I'll always be relying on you to save me. I need to learn … to save myself." He looked at their father. "We both do."

Vader nodded. "He's right. In a way, Leia, you saved us both. But you are needed elsewhere now. The new Republic -"

She shook her head. "Father …"

He placed a hand on her shoulder. "You don't know how much it gratifies me to hear you call me that. I hope I will live to hear it again."

She realised the decision had been made. There was nothing she could do to stop them. And deep down, however much she wanted to stop them, she knew it was the right thing for them to do, that she had to let them go. "Where will you go?" she asked, her voice barely a whisper.

"I do not know," Vader said. "Far away. Somewhere we can be truly alone, where no-one knows us."

"Well … why not stay here?" she asked, suddenly brightening. "Surely this is the perfect place. It's isolated, there's no civilisation, if it was good enough for Yoda …"

Luke shook his head sadly, dashing her hopes that she could at least know where they were, perhaps be able to contact them from time to time. "No. Too many people know about this place now. We have to get away from everything, from every_one_, and that includes you. I'm sorry."

She bowed her head, defeated. Luke stepped closer, and she felt his arms enfold her. A moment later, Vader too joined the embrace. She wrapped her arms around both of them, not wanting to let either of them go.

"When will you leave?" she whispered.

"Soon," Luke replied softly. "I'd like to say goodbye to everyone first."

"I'll miss you."

"I know. I'll miss you too."

* * *

It didn't take long for them to prepare. Vader's ship was ready, and Luke had no baggage to pack. Even his clothes were gifts from Wedge and Han, the remains of his Starkiller outfit discarded days ago.

And now the moment had arrived. Luke and Leia left the _Falcon_, trailed by Han and Chewbacca. "Take care, Master Luke," Threepio called after them, as Artoo beeped and warbled his own good wishes. Luke shook Han's hand formally. "Thank you, Han," he said. "If it hadn't been for you, things might have gone very differently. Look after Leia?"

Han frowned, then suddenly shook his head, and pulled the younger man into a fierce hug. "Aw, kid … You take care of yourself, okay?"

Luke returned the hug. "I will." As he stepped back, Chewie grabbed him in a bone-crushing embrace, growling loudly in his ear. He couldn't help but smile as the Wookiee released him. Then seeing Leia, he grew serious again.

She offered him her hand. "Let's go."

She walked with him across the clearing to the other ship, where Vader was waiting. She embraced her father, then turned to Luke, taking his hands in hers, looking deep into his eyes.

"Don't be afraid to come back. Even if you don't find what you're looking for."

He embraced her, kissed her cheek. "I'll return," he whispered. "I promise." Then he turned away, and entered the ship.

Leia stepped back from the ship, but didn't leave the clearing, watching as they prepared for takeoff. She saw Luke in the cockpit, and his eyes caught hers, holding them for a long moment. She raised her hand to him, and he nodded, acknowledging her with a small, sad smile. Then he turned his attention back to the controls.

She continued to watch as the ship rose into the murky sky, until its lights could no longer be seen. Even then, she did not leave, turning to the Force instead to trace their presence, feeling it dwindle as they grew further away, and then finally winking out as they entered hyperspace.

She sighed, lowering her head. They were gone, perhaps forever. Han came up beside her and put his arm around her shoulders. She leaned into him. "That was the last of my family," she whispered.

She felt his arm tighten around her shoulders. "You've still got me," he whispered.

She hugged him close, burying her head in his chest, suddenly overwhelmed by a massive wave of gratitude. If it hadn't been for him … she would still have been in the mansion, lost and alone and in despair. But he had found her, and changed so much. Now Luke was no longer the new Emperor, Vader was no longer dark, the galaxy was finally moving toward peace … and if it hadn't been for him, none of that might have happened.

"Thank you, Han," she whispered.

He leaned back to look at her. "What for?" he asked.

He really didn't know. "Everything," she said.

He smiled, and lowered his head to kiss her. She kissed him back, giving in to the moment. It had been a long, hard journey, but it was over. They had made it, they had survived. They had won. There was still much to be done, a long way to go before peace, and the Republic, could truly be re-established. But there was hope, for the first time in a long time. And for now, that was enough.

* * *

**THE END**

* * *

**Author's notes:**

Thanks for reading _Reign of the Starkiller_. It takes its inspiration from various places, including the _Infinities_ comics, early drafts of the original trilogy, and the _Legacy of the Force_ series.

The name Starkiller comes from the early drafts. I'd already decided to use it for Luke's alter ego when I found out it was being used in "canon" for the main character in the Force Unleashed game. I thought about changing it, but I just couldn't, because it fit Luke, and his history, so perfectly - as Leia reflects at one point, "he had killed a Star once". I hope you've been able to see past the game in this story, and accept Luke as Starkiller.

The idea of Leia becoming Empress comes from _Infinities: ANH_, and her being alone in a house with only protocol droids for company also comes from there (though in that case it was just Threepio).

The idea of Leia becoming a Jedi comes straight from ROTJ - "Pass on what you have learned; there is another Skywalker"; but her having to save the galaxy comes from early ideas for the sequel trilogy, where the other was Luke's sister (maybe) but not Leia (definitely). I combined the two. Her having to save Luke from the dark side was a very old idea of mine, inspired by Luke's battle in the Dagobah cave. He failed that test, and that made me think that if he was truly tempted by the dark side, he would fall. With Luke and Leia being twins, it made sense that they could only truly achieve their destiny together.

_The Force of Others_ comes from early Star Wars drafts - it was an early name for the Force, and I thought it fit the storyline of that part well, as Leia comes to understand that you can't act alone, you do need others to help and support you (which is also one reason why Luke fails, through being so determined to go it alone).

The mansion retreat was inspired by Vader's retreat in early drafts of ROTJ - though in that he lived on some lava planet, and his house was a bit more dangerous! But I thought there'd been enough lava and bottomless pits in the saga already, so I just made it a nice house.

The idea of redemption from the dark side has interested me for a while, ever since ROTJ, in fact, and was something I really struggled with in writing _Reign of the Starkiller_. I never really bought Vader's redemption in the OT. After all he'd done, was it really enough just to kill the Emperor? And what about Yoda's warning: "If once you start down the dark path, forever will it dominate your destiny"? Right up until the end, I still hadn't decided if Luke was going to turn back or not. But once I put him in the Dagobah cave, he kind of decided his own fate.

A similar thing happened with Vader - I had never intended to have him turn back from the dark side. Right up to when he and Leia met on Ealor, she was going to kill him. It was only when I was writing it I realised that wouldn't work. So it turned out they both renounced the dark side in the end, but whether they can truly find their way back into the light I decided to leave as an open question

Something else that surprised me was how much I ended up using what happened in the prequels. It wasn't something I expected when I started writing, as I'm not a prequel fan as a rule. But a lot of what happens in ROTS turned out to be quite important to what happens in _Reign of the Starkiller._ There's Chewbacca's meeting with Yoda of course, which turned out to be a pivotal point for Leia's development as a Jedi, as well as the early history of the Rebellion (even though most of it was cut from the film!), and the Empire being at its base a Sith conspiracy. I really enjoyed being able to tie those threads together.

So there it is: _Reign of the Starkiller._ I hope you enjoyed it. Any and all feedback is much appreciated, so thanks to everyone who took the time to leave a comment, and also to anyone who might do so in the future.

- Carrie Williams February 2010


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